Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 209: The most important affairs of the state are sacrifice and war
Midsummer of the seventh year of Guanghe (868 AD), May 28th, the summer solstice.
The dark sky seemed to have been splashed with half an inkstone of unground ink, and the crescent moon could not obscure the starlight that filled the sky.

However, the starlight was slightly obscured by a faint sliver of bluish-yellow light on the eastern horizon.

That is the rising sun!
In a side hall of Yong'an Palace, candlelight flickered. Liu Bian, dressed in a ceremonial robe, allowed Liu Qing and Cai Yuan to dress him in an exceptionally formal suit. Holding a scroll of memorials, he couldn't resist throwing it away.

As Liu Bian perused the memorials from his court officials, he had to admit that these scholars were truly cunning.

He ordered a ban on impeaching Huangfu Song based on hearsay, but some court officials still managed to find another way and changed their impeachment memorials into suggestions!
The memorial impeaching Huangfu Song for being cowardly and hesitant to advance was changed to a suggestion that Huangfu Song should immediately march forward to quell the Qiang rebellion in Liangzhou as soon as possible, restore peace and order to the people of Liangzhou, and reduce the expenditure of the national treasury.

Otherwise, if the army is stuck in Liangzhou for too long, it will waste money and food, and it will also delay agricultural work.

"These pedantic scholars, knowing nothing about military affairs, yet they dare to speak recklessly about matters of state and military matters. They claim to have studied farming in their youth, yet they don't even know anything about farming!"

Liu Bian was very disgusted by the ministers in the court who only knew how to talk big and always liked to give uninformed advice to experts. Those who knew military affairs did not interfere, but those who did not know military affairs liked to point fingers.

Moreover, the so-called delay in agricultural work was because the main crop commonly planted in the Later Han Dynasty was winter wheat, which matured around the beginning of May in the Sanhe region.

Originally, Liu Bian was also worried that the people would not have enough time to harvest the grain, and he was preparing to order Jia Xu, the governor of Henan, Dong Zhao, the governor of Henan, and Cheng Yu, the governor of Hedong, to send people to help the people who were short of manpower to harvest.

Then Tian Feng raised his objection. It wasn't that he felt they shouldn't help the people, but rather that the soldiers conscripted from the Sanhe region were all from good families. They were wealthy households who could afford to provide their own armor, weapons, and even warhorses. How could they not have servants?
Even among the few decent families who weren't particularly wealthy, the government was unwilling to help with the harvest. People with a small-farmer mentality always felt that they could only be at ease harvesting wheat themselves and wouldn't be shortchanged.

To put it bluntly, distrust of the government is also one of the reasons.

Now it's June, and the wheat has long been harvested and stored.

There's even less to worry about when it comes to threshing and pounding rice, especially since winter wheat is harvested only once a year and can only be sown in September or even October.

During this period, some beans are planted in rotation to increase soil fertility, or if the soil fertility is still good, some millet is planted. Planted in June, it is harvested in September, which does not delay the next winter wheat planting.

In the same field, millet is planted at a density more than ten times lower than winter wheat. Millet also has a much higher survival rate than winter wheat and is more resistant to summer drought. It is also much easier to manage than winter wheat, which spans both winter and summer. Beans are even less of a concern.

"Your Highness, please do not move!"

Liu Qing and Cai Yuan, standing behind him, gave a playful scolding, stopping Liu Bian from picking up another scroll of memorials.

Liu Qing quickly reached out his hands and carefully straightened the crown tassels that were swaying due to Liu Bian's movements, while Cai Yuan tightened the ribbons that secured the crown.

This ceremonial robe was exceptionally complicated to wear, far more so than the usual crown prince's robes. It consisted of several layers of clothing, and the two women had to concentrate fully on the layering of each fabric and the tying of each sash.

But a formal dress is just a formal dress. Although the embroidery is exquisite, it is also heavy and stuffy, making it somewhat inconvenient to move around. In the midsummer month of May, it is truly torturous.

But who can blame us for holding this sacrificial ceremony today?

Today is the summer solstice. According to custom, one should go to the northern suburbs to offer sacrifices to the Earth Mother Houtu. However, since he had already offered sacrifices to the Earth Mother before, he decided to hold the rain-making ceremony, which was not held in May, on the summer solstice.

The Yuji is a rain-praying ceremony, while the Dayu is a rain-praying ceremony exclusive to emperors.

The Book of Rites, Monthly Ordinances states that in the middle of summer, officials are ordered to offer prayers to the mountains, rivers, and all the springs for the people, and to perform a grand rain-making ceremony for the Emperor, accompanied by great music. The emperor also orders that all counties offer rain-making ceremonies to all officials and ministers who have benefited the people, in order to pray for a bountiful harvest.

There are two types of rain festivals: "regular rain festivals" and "rain festivals held in response to drought".

Changyu is a fixed sacrificial ceremony. Even without floods or droughts, it is performed in midsummer, which is the fifth month of the lunar calendar, to request the water god Xuanming, the rain god Yinglong, and all the gods of mountains and rivers to bless the Han Dynasty with favorable weather and abundant harvests this year.

"Lianyi, Yuhuan, why do you think a king has so many sacrifices to perform?" Liu Bian sighed, embracing the two women who were helping him put on his ceremonial robes, eliciting bursts of coquettish reproach.

Cai Yuan slightly raised her pretty face and saw Liu Bian's bitter expression. She gently reached out her hands to smooth his furrowed brows and chose to comfort him with empathy, saying, "It's not even June yet, and Your Highness has already held five sacrificial ceremonies. I vaguely remember that Your Highness was supposed to go to the southwest outside the city to worship the Yellow Emperor in the late summer?" Liu Bian sighed.

If it weren't for the fact that he hadn't yet returned to the capital at the beginning of the year, and that Liu Hong was handling the first month's sacrificial ceremony to Shennong and the second month's ceremony to worship Emperor Guangwu at the Yuanling Mausoleum, he would have had to conduct eight sacrificial ceremonies in the first half of the year.

No wonder Liu Shan (A Dou) said, "The government is controlled by the Ge family, but the sacrifices are done by me." It turns out that the at least sixteen ritual ceremonies every year were enough to exhaust the emperor, not to mention the various sacrifices and prayer ceremonies held on short notice for political purposes or natural disasters.

Compared to Cai Yuan, Liu Qing, who had given birth, possessed a more maternal glow and a gentle and virtuous demeanor. She chose to comfort her with the grand principles of governing the country, saying, "The most important matters of the country are sacrifice and war. Your Highness's hard work is for the sake of tens of millions of people. The people will remember Your Highness's kindness and will be praised by future generations."

Liu Bian nodded slightly, but his heart was filled with bitterness.

The Son of Heaven is the son of Heaven, who assumes the responsibility of communicating between Heaven and Earth on behalf of mortals.

The problem is, can someone teach him how to communicate with Polaris (Beta Ursae Minoris), which is 110 light-years away, under the current technological conditions?

After donning formal attire, Liu Bian, along with the two Crown Princes, proceeded to the main hall and bowed to Lu Zhi, the Crown Prince's tutor, who was also dressed in formal attire.

Looking at the Crown Prince and his two sons bowing to him, Lu Zhi couldn't help but feel a sense of great comfort. He forgot his manners for a moment until Gao Wang gently tugged at his sleeve, which brought him back to his senses. He then hurriedly returned the bow.

Although it may seem disrespectful, it evokes the feeling of an old father looking at his successful and filial son who has started his own family.

At forty-five years old, he doesn't know how many more years he has to live. The Crown Prince is more than just an ordinary disciple to him.

Although he only taught the Crown Prince for a year, the Crown Prince was exceptionally intelligent. He simply lacked the experience accumulated over time. Having received his inherited knowledge, the Crown Prince was the successor to his governing philosophy, even closer than a biological son.

Liu Bian did not notice the gentle light in Lu Zhi's eyes. He just felt that it was still early and he had no appetite for breakfast, so he simply started reading the memorials.

Not long after, Yuan Pang, the Grand Master of Ceremonies in charge of the safety of the entire ceremony, also arrived at Yong'an Palace to report to the Crown Prince.

After Liu Bian became engaged to Cai Yan, the eldest daughter of Cai Yong, he grew even closer to Yuan Pang, an old minister whom he already relied on highly.

Although Yuan Pang was only five years older than Cai Yong, he was Cai Yong's mother's younger brother, meaning he was Cai Yong's maternal uncle. This gave him a kinship relationship with Liu Bian, making him a member of the maternal relatives' power.

Liu Bian happened to come across Yuan Pang's memorial, which advised the Crown Prince not to be misled by a few mediocre officials into questioning Huangfu Song. Instead, he suggested that the Crown Prince inquire about the reasons from Huangfu Song in his own name. So he asked the two of them, "The Left General has been stuck in Liangzhou for more than ten days. Lu Shi and Gongxi Gong are both well-versed in military strategy. Do you know why?"

Yuan Pang was not a mere scholar, but a man of great talent, like Lu Zhi, who was proficient in both literature and martial arts. Otherwise, he would not have served as the Grand Master of Ceremonies twice. In his early years, he also served as the governor of the north and fought against the Xianbei.

Moreover, Yuan Pang's military expertise was recognized by both Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi, which is even more remarkable.

Yuan Pang stroked his beard and looked at the Crown Prince, saying, "Huangfu Yizhen's military strategy is the military situation school among the four schools of military strategists. I have some guesses about why I have followed this path with him."

"Please enlighten me, Lord Gongxi."

Liu Bian solemnly rose and bowed to Yuan Pang, and the officials of the Crown Prince's residence behind him also bowed to Yuan Pang as a disciple.

Yuan Pang then explained Huangfu Song's military strategies using military tactics. These were all military experiences he had accumulated in his early years of military service, and they were the essence of military strategy.

Since I have the privilege of listening in, it is not inappropriate for me to perform the disciple's salute.

Didn't you see Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Zhang He, Yan Liang, Wen Chou, and the others all eagerly waiting?

(2631 words)
(End of this chapter)