There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 371 urging the emperor to ascend the throne
"Your Majesty, the Nanjing Cabinet Office has received several more letters from scholars in the public urging you to ascend the throne!"

Gu Jing and Liu Jun arrived together, bringing with them more than a dozen letters of different styles urging the emperor to ascend the throne.

This has almost become the norm. Ever since Nie Yu, as the King of Han, personally led the officials of the Han Dynasty to pay homage at the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, these letters urging him to ascend the throne have been pouring in like snowflakes.

If they couldn't get it to the Prince of Han's residence, they would try to find a way to get it to the various departments of the Grand Secretariat in Nanjing.

Nie Yu casually opened a few letters and read them. The contents were all similar, all suggesting that once Nanjing was captured, one could ascend the throne and become emperor.

It was said to be an encouragement to ascend the throne, but the encouragement was very tactful. It didn't even directly say that he should become emperor. Instead, it was said that since the King of Han had already paid homage at the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, he should also posthumously confer temple names on the ancestors of the Han Dynasty, build an imperial mausoleum, and establish legitimacy.

While he never explicitly mentioned becoming emperor, he could posthumously honor his ancestors with temples, construct imperial mausoleums, and establish legitimacy—all things an emperor should do.

Nie Yu wasn't against becoming emperor. He had once used the phrase "By the mandate of Heaven, may your reign be long and prosperous" to tempt his father, and now his ministers and the people could use the same eight words to tempt him.

Those who receive orders from heaven will live long and prosperous lives.

It must be admitted that no man can resist these eight words.

Each generation has its own mission, and Nie Yu cannot refuse it, nor does he have any reason to refuse it.

As the leader of the newly established Han regime, his every action must live up to the expectations of his generals, officials, and the common people.

In this era when imperial power still dominated, there were no truly democratic countries even in continental Europe.

The ridiculous constitutional monarchy of the British is nothing more than the bourgeoisie wresting power from the British monarchy.

The ridiculous French republic will be overthrown by Napoleon and the French Empire will be established no later than the year after next.

……

Nie Yu dismissed Liu Jun and Gu Jing, who had come to deliver a letter to test the waters, and then summoned several officials on duty in the Secretariat.

Since its formal reform, the Cabinet has become the highest governing body of the Han Dynasty.

Although Nie Yu still frequently summoned the cabinet to hold private meetings to discuss national affairs, some important matters involving Nie Yu's own private affairs were not suitable for direct meetings with the cabinet.

For example, when discussing matters related to becoming emperor, the cabinet can make a formal decision later, but the specific decision on whether or not to become emperor cannot be discussed with the cabinet, otherwise it will send an unclear political signal to the cabinet and the ministerial officials below.

Several officials on duty in the Secretariat arrived one after another. In addition to a few newly recruited unfamiliar faces, there were also Yuan Mingyao, Wei Fubang, and Deng Xianhe, all of whom were Jinshi graduates of the special imperial examination and were also newly recruited secretaries by the Prince of Han.

According to the precedent set last year, the three of them will serve as secretaries in the cabinet, and after a year of observation, they can be appointed as county magistrates.

Now, with three months left in their one-year term, Nie Yu finally transferred them from the Cabinet to the Secretariat to serve as his secretaries.

Three months later, they were still released as an exception.

Talented individuals should definitely be given more privileges. It's impossible to let them start from scratch and climb the ladder; that would be a waste of resources and talent.

Nie Yu casually handed out the dozen or so letters urging him to ascend the throne to the on-duty secretaries who had come to read them in turn.

After looking around, Nie Yu asked with a smile, "What do you all think about this?"

Although the question was about their opinion, the fact that the letter urging the emperor to ascend the throne had already been shown to them indicates that the King of Han had already made up his mind about the matter.

The scene fell silent for a moment.

Deng Xianhe spoke first, saying, "Our great Han once took the banner of overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Han. Now that Nanjing has been recovered, most of the southern half of the country is now occupied by Manchu and Han banners. At this moment, Your Majesty should ascend to the throne, which will not only satisfy the people's hearts but also establish legitimacy and proclaim that the Mandate of Heaven for China has been restored to our Han family!"

To put it simply, Deng Xianhe's words were a call to quickly ascend the throne and establish legitimacy.

Once the Han dynasty declares itself emperor, it can legitimately claim that the Qing dynasty is a barbarian state. It can also convince the Qing officials and gentry that the Mandate of Heaven has changed, and that it is time for the Qing dynasty, which was acquired by the barbarian regime, to undergo a complete overthrow.

After listening, Nie Yu continued to ask, "If I were to ascend the throne and establish a country in Nanjing, wouldn't that be too early?"

Yuan Mingyao immediately said, "Not too early, not too early. There are advantages to ascending the throne sooner or later. Nanjing has already been liberated. Even if the hearts of the people in the south do not all belong to our Great Han, they are certainly intimidated by our Great Han. Moreover, with Nanjing captured, the pseudo-Qing will no longer look down on our Great Han as before. Even if Your Majesty does not declare yourself emperor, our Great Han has already become a major threat to the pseudo-Qing. In that case, why not just declare yourself emperor? This would also rally the people and demonstrate that our Great Han is truly an ambitious dynasty, not a cowardly rebel who has obtained the country by chance!"

Nie Yu nodded slightly, no longer having any doubts about ascending the throne. He thought for a moment, then asked, "Since I'm going to become emperor, what should the name of the country be?"

Major decisions such as the name of the country, the era name, and the date of the emperor's ascension should be discussed and decided by the cabinet, but at this time, the opinion of the Secretariat can be consulted first.

This can be considered a test. Whether the answer is right or wrong doesn't matter much, since they won't actually make a decision just by asking.

A young secretary suddenly bowed and replied, "I believe that since we are going to establish an empire and a country, the name of the country should be chosen as Great Ming."

As soon as these words came out, everyone was in an uproar.

Everyone turned to look at the talented person who suggested changing the country's name to Ming.

The secretary, seemingly realizing his words were inappropriate, quickly explained, "Although 'Ming' is the name of the previous dynasty, it was still our Han dynasty, as many common people and anti-Qing rebels know. Moreover, Your Majesty has just visited the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum. The former Ming Taizu (Emperor Hongwu) used the banner of expelling the Tartars and restoring China. Your Majesty's current ascension to the throne and establishment of the Ming dynasty is actually in line with the restoration of the Ming, echoing the achievements of our great Han in expelling the Tartars and restoring Han China!"

In conclusion, the Ming Dynasty was more widely known among the people than the Han Dynasty.

Changing the country's name to Ming would attract the common people and anti-Qing forces, including righteous armies like the Heaven and Earth Society that used the banner of overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming to join them.

However, after these reasons were given, someone quickly voiced their opposition, and the person who objected was Wei Fubang.

Wei Fubang said, "The name 'Great Ming' is really inappropriate. Putting aside whether it's auspicious or not, Great Ming is a dynasty that has been destroyed for more than a hundred years. Your Majesty doesn't even have the surname Zhu. How can we call it Great Ming again? Or should we wait until Your Majesty ascends the throne and changes the name of the country, and then find a member of the Zhu family to share the country and the world?"

"This..." The first person to speak was momentarily speechless.

Pressing his advantage, Wei Fubang continued, "Your Majesty, I believe that the Ming Dynasty is unsuitable. We should adopt the Zhou Dynasty as our new name. After all, although Zhou is an old state, its destiny is one of renewal!"

Although most dynasties that used Zhou as their name were short-lived, apart from the two legitimate dynasties of Eastern and Western Zhou, the rest were generally short-lived.

None of the Northern Zhou, Wu Zhou, Later Zhou, Great Zhou (Zhang Shicheng), and Wu Zhou dynasties lived past a hundred years; even living past fifty was a long shot.

But this doesn't mean there's a problem with the name of the Zhou dynasty; it just means the people weren't very capable. The Northern Zhou was a Xianbei tribe, the Wu Zhou was a hen crowing at dawn, and the Later Zhou is another story altogether. What goes around comes around, and Zhang Shicheng's Zhou was just a makeshift operation.

The recent Wu Zhou was even more so, the traitor and traitor Wu Sangui who proclaimed himself emperor. How could such a morally bankrupt person be worthy of ruling the country?
The Han Dynasty, however, was different. Its rise to power was spotless, and its slogans were as righteous as could be: expel the Tartars and restore China. The people supported and loved it.

Thus, the state was established as the Great Zhou Dynasty, which lasted for eight hundred years, while the puppet Qing Dynasty only lasted for one hundred and fifty years, suppressing the Qing Dynasty completely.

After Wei Fubang finished speaking, Yuan Mingyao raised a different opinion: "Da Zhou and Da Ming are both old names. Since they are old names, we should avoid using them if possible. Your Majesty drove out the Tartars and restored China. This is a great achievement for all ages and should be matched with a resounding national name."

Someone's eyes lit up: "How about we name our country 'Great Han'?"

Another person countered, "Isn't the Great Han still the old name?"

Someone else chimed in, "What about Great Chu? The Han dynasty's homeland is in Jingchu, so Great Chu could be a perfect name for it. Great Chu is a new name, it also subtly corresponds to a place name, and it's also the name of one of the six ancient states—it's prestigious enough." The person who mentioned Great Han hesitated, "Wouldn't that be too regionally specific?"

"Then what do you suggest we get?"

"..."

Regarding the issue of the new dynasty's name, all the secretaries who were summoned to the capital today joined in the debate and discussion.

They were all arguing so fiercely that their faces turned red and their necks bulged. If the King of Han hadn't been sitting there, they probably would have started fighting.

After all, this is the name of a new dynasty, not only a once-in-a-century event of political upheaval, but also a sense of participation in the establishment of the new dynasty's name.

Even if the name of the country is not ultimately adopted, the secretary who is involved in this controversy today will still be recorded in history a century from now.

If the name of the country is adopted, it will at least warrant a book or biography, discussing in detail how to use the name of the country.

Who knows, future generations might produce a bunch of marketing accounts to discuss the influence of so-and-so on the name of the Han Dynasty, making up a whole bunch of messy, unverifiable stories.

Anyone would fight for this opportunity; it's such a great thing that even a casual mention of it could earn you a place in history.

As everyone was debating, Deng Xianhe suddenly suggested, "How about calling the country 'Da Qian'?"

"What the hell is 'Great Qian'?" Upon hearing Deng Xianhe utter this name of the country, Nie Yu, who had been sitting upright, finally couldn't hold back any longer.

Deng Xianhe quickly explained, “Great is the Qian Yuan, the origin of all things, which governs the heavens. This is the origin of the name of the Mongol Yuan dynasty, the so-called Great Yuan. The Great Ming dynasty that followed the Mongol Yuan comes from the next line: Great Ming from beginning to end, the six positions are completed in time, riding the six dragons to govern the heavens. This is the Great Ming dynasty. Therefore, if one wants to subtly align with the will of heaven and the beginning and end of virtue, one can take the next line: The way of Qian changes, each thing is correct in its nature and destiny, preserving harmony and great peace, which is beneficial and righteous. This is the origin of the name ‘Great Qian’.”

These rotating phrases all come from the "Tuan Zhuan" of the Book of Changes.

According to the "Tuan Zhuan" of the Book of Changes, the name of the country proposed by Deng Xianhe could be inherited by the current puppet Qing dynasty.

However, the pseudo-Qing dynasty disregarded the rules. While the Yuan and Ming dynasties followed the established practices of the Book of Changes, the pseudo-Qing dynasty insisted on going its own way and established its own national name, Qing.

The Qing dynasty, with its water element overcoming fire, was perfectly suited to restrain the Ming dynasty.

There is also the saying in Guanzi's "Neiye": "The mirror is clear, and the view is bright."

There's no way around it; that's how a country is built. The most ridiculous thing is that the Qing dynasty spent almost a hundred years compiling the History of Ming in order to cover up their lack of confidence.

By the time most of the historians familiar with the history of the Ming Dynasty had died, the "History of Ming" was finally completed.

Seeing that Nie Yu seemed to have some objections to the name "Da Qian," Deng Xianhe added: "According to the 'Tuan Zhuan,' the name of a country is based on the cyclical succession of destiny. Only the pseudo-Qing dynasty never regarded itself as a Chinese dynasty from beginning to end, which is why it changed its name to Da Qing, claiming that water overcomes fire, but in reality, it is utter nonsense. If our Great Han were to inherit the name Da Qian, it would be to restore the order of Chinese virtue and destiny, and by taking the way of Qian as the name of the country, it would be in accordance with the number of the heavenly way, and the dynasty's lifespan would surely be long."

After saying that, he added, "If Your Majesty is not satisfied with the Great Qian, you can also request the Great He or the Great Zhen..."

Yamato, Taisada... even more outrageous than the Great Qian.

Fortunately, before Nie Yu could speak, Wei Fubang objected: "The name of the country, Daqian, is understandable. Qiankun and Tiandi represent the way of heaven. Dahe and Dazhen are too obscure and do not conform to the founding principles of our Han Dynasty."

The argument went nowhere; everyone wanted their suggested name for the country to be chosen, and no one could truly convince the public.

Nie Yu wasn't in a hurry. The matter of the national title was just a reference, and it was also a chance to test the knowledge and opinions of the people in the Secretariat.

Even if they can agree on a few national titles now, they still have to go back to the cabinet and have all the officials in the cabinet participate in the discussion, and there might even be a war of words.

That's all, now there's a new era name.

A king has his own reign title, and an emperor has his own reign title.

The reign title for becoming king can be chosen arbitrarily, Nie Yu decided on it with a single word, but the reign title for becoming emperor must be carefully considered and must conform to the founding principles of the nation.

He waved to dismiss the crowd.

Nie Yu wrote down all the country names that everyone had compiled, except for "Yamato," which was singled out.

Although "Yamato" has a specific interpretation in the Book of Changes, and it is a fairly positive interpretation, Nie Yu still couldn't help but think of the small island nation next door.

Speaking of island nations, Nie Yu was reminded of the world situation at that time.

This year marks the third year of the Great Han Dynasty's Xinghua era, the fifth year of the Jiaqing Emperor's reign in the pseudo-Qing Dynasty, 1800 AD, the last year of the 19th century, and the beginning of China's entry into modern history.

If we consider the timeline, Napoleon should have become the First Consul of the French Republic by this time. Except for the lack of the title of Emperor, all power in France was concentrated in Napoleon's hands.

There are still about five years before he can become emperor in the next stage.

It is worth mentioning that Napoleon's coronation as emperor was different from that of emperors in the traditional European sense.

All the emperors of European countries originated from the Roman Empire. Although European emperors were also emperors, their concept differed from that of the Chinese emperor. They could be considered as the "Great Khan" of the Mongol Empire, translated into Chinese as the Mongol emperor.

European emperors were all pretty much the same; the French were all descended from Rome, including the Russian peasants.

Napoleon was different; he overthrew the king. The French didn't want a king, but they desperately needed Napoleon to rule as a monarch, so they crowned him "Emperor of the French" rather than Emperor of France.

In contrast, the old rival, the British, is a more abstract concept. The transformation of the British from the Kingdom of Great Britain to the British Empire stemmed from Britain's complete defeat of the Mughal Empire in India.

Subsequently, the Queen of England crowned the Mughal Emperor, and from then on declared the British Empire.

Looking further into the coastal waters of the Han Dynasty, Taiwan Prefecture, though nominally still under the control of the puppet Qing Dynasty, is no longer important. Even Fujian has been encircled by the Han army and is just waiting to be devoured.

East of Taiwan Prefecture lies the Ryukyu Islands, later known as the Okinawa Islands by island nations.

Yui Aragaki is from Ryukyu, and very likely a descendant of people from Fujian. Because the surname "Aragaki" has never existed within Ryukyu itself, but it did exist in ancient Fujian…

The Ryukyu Kingdom is currently in the Second Sho Dynasty.

However, this dynasty was essentially a puppet of the island nation of Satsuma, except that the island nation followed the Qing dynasty's example and issued a closed-door policy, making it difficult for Satsuma to annex Ryukyu.

At this time, some scholars within the island nation (the island nation's general term for Western science) had already proposed the concept of "national isolation."

There's also Luzon, the Luzon Islands are currently a Spanish colony.

South of Luzon, on Borneo (Kalimantan Island), the Hakka people from Guangdong had already established the Lanfang Republic and were struggling to survive alongside the colonists.

As for North Korea, it had just passed through its period of resurgence and was beginning to move towards a "politics of power and influence" characterized by a young ruler, a suspicious state, powerful relatives of the empress, and a decline in royal authority.

……

(End of this chapter)