Han officials

Chapter 86: The Intrigues Between the Emperor and His Ministers [35]

Although the idea of presenting captives in the Taimiao was desperately stopped by the court officials, Emperor Liu Hong was still very happy that Wei Zhe could successfully pacify the Three Han States. He was even happier than when he learned that Gongsun Zan had recovered the counties of Youzhou!

Even though he likes to hear the people below cheering "Long live the emperor" and "Congratulations on the long life", he knows the condition of his own body well.

Due to years of excessive indulgence, his health has deteriorated.

Sometimes, when it was late at night and everyone was asleep, Liu Hong would even wonder what his posthumous title would be after his death.

In the past, he felt that he could only get a "common posthumous title", such as Huai, Dao, Ai, Min, or Shang.

But after Wei Zhe's troubles in Liaodong, Liu Hong felt that he might be able to get a "beautiful posthumous title".

The Law of Posthumous Titles says:

To have merit in bringing peace to the people is called "lie", and to have glorious military achievements is called "lie".

Maybe... he will be called "Emperor Xiaolie"?
However, it seems that the title "Emperor Xiaoyi" is also good.

After all, "being strong and decisive is called perseverance, and being able to defeat the enemy is called perseverance."

Of course, it would be better if he could be called "Emperor Xiaoxian".

To uphold justice among all nations is called a constitution, and to reward the good and punish the evil is called a constitution; these are considered the best among the "beautiful posthumous titles".

Thinking of this, Emperor Liu Hong could not help but sigh with heartfelt emotion:
"This Duke Wei is indeed my lucky general!"

Even though Zhang Rang and others were familiar with the emperor's temperament, they could not have imagined that Liu Hong was actually thinking about his own posthumous title.

After hearing what the emperor said, Zhang Rang and others thought that Wei Zhe's victory report came by chance, which relieved the emperor's worries, so they gave such an evaluation of Wei Zhe.

Zhang Rang immediately said with a smile, "Even if Duke Wei of Wei is a lucky general, it's all thanks to Your Majesty. He relies entirely on the Emperor's protection. Otherwise, how could this fellow have such good fortune?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Liu Hong burst into laughter.

However, a moment later, when the court was discussing matters, Liu Hong's good mood was immediately ruined.

……

Now that the lands of the Three Kingdoms of Korea have been determined, the court will naturally have to take steps to govern them.

In this regard, the ministers in the court quite agreed with the views in Wei Zhe's memorial, which was to directly set up counties and relocate the refugees from Qing and Xu who had lost their land to fill them, so that they could be converted to Chinese.

However, there were some differences of opinion among the court officials regarding the naming of the new county.

So several names were presented to the emperor for his choice.

However, looking at the result of the ministers' discussion on paper, Liu Hong frowned.

"Zhenfan County, Lintun County, Canghai County?"

Good fellow! The more Liu Hong read, the more dissatisfied he became. He immediately said, "Why are all the characters from the previous dynasty?"

"You are so lazy! You are eating the emperor's salary, is this how you share his worries?"

As soon as these words were spoken, there was a burst of apologies in the hall, but no one expressed any new ideas.

To be honest, it's not that Liu Hong is picky.

You should know that both Zhenfan County and Lintun County are in the western part of Haidong.

The newly opened lands of the Three Kingdoms of Korea were territories that had never been occupied by the previous dynasty.

As for Canghai County, it is even more interesting. Strictly speaking, it is the current vassal state of Haidong.

In the autumn of the first year of Yuanshuo (128 BC) during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, Nanlu, the Hui king of the Eastern Yi, brought people to submit to the Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu of Han then established Canghai County in the Hui and Mo areas.

However, Canghai County existed for a very short time in history and was abolished after only two years.

So these three names seem to be all right, but in fact they all have problems.

Liu Hong didn't want to use something that had been used by others, and he didn't want his achievements to be erased through word games in the future.

If these three names were used, people in later generations might think that he had merely recovered lost territory, but had not expanded the territory or achieved any great achievements.

Liu Hong thought he knew the little thoughts of the civil officials better than anyone else.

Therefore, although it is just a name, Liu Hong insisted on it.

This was his achievement during his reign, so naturally he should enjoy the glory alone instead of sharing it with his predecessors.

As a widely acknowledged sycophant, Minister Xu of the Imperial Court was quick to sense the emperor's intentions and quickly came up with a brilliant idea: "The sunrise in the east of the sea is the earliest, so why not call it Dongming County?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Hong's expression suddenly brightened up, and the other court officials also nodded slightly.

So the land of the Three Kingdoms of Korea got a new name - Dongming County!

However, just as one issue was resolved, another disagreement arose between the emperor and his ministers. "Joining the court as an official? That's not necessary!"

When Liu Hong heard that the Secretariat wanted to recruit Wei Zhe to serve as the General of the Five Officials, he rejected it without hesitation.

Seeing the emperor's firm attitude, Yuan Wei immediately suggested, "Since that's the case, why not transfer Wei Zhe to the position of Protector of the Qiang and assist the army in suppressing the rebellion in Liang Province?"

Yuan Wei was not targeting Wei Zhe, he was just acting according to past practices.

After all, if we allow a capable minister like Wei Zhe who has made many military achievements to stay in the border counties, it will be easy for him to become powerful over time.

Whether recruiting him to serve as an official in the court or transferring him to Liangzhou to quell the rebellion, the purpose was to prevent him from becoming too powerful in Liaodong.

This can be considered as the basic quality of a mature bureaucrat!
However, Liu Hong still disagreed after hearing this.

He didn't care about any conventions, not even the cold and barren land like Liaodong.

Anyway, Wei Zhe does not have the prestige of Huangfu Song, so Liu Hong is still very confident in him for the time being.

In fact, Wei Zhe had expressed his intention to ask for battle in the victory report, hoping to lead the army to quell Zhang Chun's rebellion.

However, neither Yuan Wei nor the emperor had considered this possibility.

Yuan Wei naturally felt that this would only make Wei Zhe more powerful in Liaodong and even Youzhou, so he vetoed it.

But the emperor didn't want Wei Zhe to waste his energy on these "unimportant" things.

Liu Hong had a vague feeling that his time might not be long.

So, in order to have a good posthumous title for his family in the future, Liu Hong, feeling anxious, thought for a moment and decisively said, "Order General Meng Yi to lead the Youzhou County troops to quell the rebellion, and Commandant Gongsun Zan to assist him."

Without waiting for anyone else to speak, Liu Hong immediately added, "Order Lelang Governor Wei Zhe to transfer to Liaodong Governor to assist Meng Yi in suppressing the rebellion!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell silent.

But after thinking for a moment, the ministers had no choice but to accept this result.

Although this plan was not what they wanted, it was at least not too bad.

However, it is not known whether the emperor is displeased with his ministers today, or is taking the opportunity to vent his anger.

Anyway, the emperor agreed to almost nothing that was reported afterwards.

Even Wei Zhe's title was sent back to the Secretariat for redrafting by the emperor after he saw it.

Why? Because this title is a little special.

According to the merits Wei Zhe had achieved this time, there would be no problem in promoting him from a township marquis to a county marquis.

But the problem is that Xiping Township is a township under Goguryeo County.

So according to convention, his title as Marquis of Xiping Township should be Marquis of Goguryeo County this time!

This title seemed insignificant to the Shangshutai, but the emperor was not happy about it.

"How can my county marquis have the same title as the chieftain of the barbarians?"

If the time comes and the Goguryeo County Marquis attacks the Goguryeo King, wouldn't it be obvious that he is being submissive?

It's too depressing!
After hearing the emperor's inexplicable reason, the ministers in the palace didn't know what to say for a moment.

Seeing this, Prime Minister Xu's mind raced, and he immediately had an idea: "Your Majesty, how about changing the title to Marquis of Buye County?"

Seeing him say that, Liu Hong became interested: "Oh? What does this title mean?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiangxiang said modestly, "I just remembered that although Wei Zhe, the governor of Lelang, was from Xuanchu County, his ancestors were from Donglai. During the reign of Wang Mang, his ancestors left Buye County in Donglai County and headed for Liaodong."

"In this way, using one's ancestral origin as a title further demonstrates the court's intention to reward meritorious officials generously!"

It's true, although there has never been such an example in the past, Xu Xiang's words were recognized by many court officials. With this precedent, the court will have more room for maneuver when it comes to awarding prizes in the future.

After all, whether it is bringing honor to the family or returning home in glory, it is a top-level reward.

The most important thing is that Liu Hong also felt quite satisfied with what he heard.

Isn't it said that the emperor likes flatterers? There really is a reason for this!

　Sorry, there are still two chapters to go until evening.

　　Alas, my hands are already clumsy, and now I am even slower when typing and looking up information at the same time.

　　But there will definitely be five chapters today, I won’t go back on my word!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)