Second-hand time travel: Liu Bei, the big-eared bandit

Chapter 437 The Prime Minister's Prime Minister

At the end of July, Fuluohan was defeated by Budugen and fled to the northern desert.

The dust has settled in northern Xinjiang.

At this time, most of the Wuhuan had been wiped out, with only the fleeing remnants north of Shanggu and the Nengchen Di tribe of Dai County still surviving. They had already retreated with Fuluohan.

The central and eastern Xianbei were also wiped out, and most of the western Xianbei migrated westward.

Although Budugen was still the Chanyu, he actually controlled less than 50,000 tribes. The once powerful Xianbei were now even weaker than the Buyeo tribe.

Buyeo and Goguryeo were no longer considered kingdoms, but rather ethnic groups under the administration of Liaodong Commandery.

Shi Ren has already gone south with Gongsun Du to prepare for the reconstruction of the four commanderies of Han.

Gongsun Du was very famous on the Korean Peninsula. When the Yemaek people saw him marching south, they immediately retreated to the south of Hancheon.

Hanchuan is the Han River, named after the Han Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han when he pacified Wiman Joseon.

The four commanderies established during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han (Xuantu, Lelang, Lintun, and Zhenfan) originally covered the entire Korean Peninsula.

At that time, the Three Hans did not exist. The natives in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula were called "Jinbeon" and the Yemaek people in the east were called "Limtun". These were not names for races or kingdoms, but rather names for tribal alliances.

The people who established Buyeo and Goguryeo were actually Yemaek, but since they established kingdoms, they are no longer referred to as Yemaek.

The Four Commanderies of Han originally divided the Korean Peninsula into four parts: Xuantu governed Buyeo, Lelang governed Goguryeo, and Lintun and Zhenfan were established based on the original tribal alliance territories.

At that time, Emperor Wu sent Han troops to the Korean Peninsula to pacify Wiman Joseon, and Zhenfan and Lintun were destroyed as a result.

The reason why Hanchuan is called "Han" is because it was entirely within the territory of the Han Dynasty.

However, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Yemo people gradually invaded the area, and Zhenfan and Lintun were re-incorporated into Lelang Commandery, which was in effect the removal of the commandery.

In the last hundred years, the Han Dynasty was busy with the selection of emperors, frequent internal strife, and invasions by the Xianbei and Wuhuan, which led to the expansion of Buyeo and Goguryeo. As a result, Xuantu Commandery was completely shrunk back to Liaodong.

Liu Bei certainly hoped to rebuild the four commanderies of Han.

This was also Shih-jen's idea; Shih-jen even found the naval landing points on the nautical chart he drew.

At this time, the Three Han were three tribal alliances with a city-state system, but the leaders were from different ethnic groups—the Zhenfan natives in the Three Han were actually slaves.

The upper-class leaders of Mahan were Yemaek people, and there were more than fifty city-states.

Chenhan was controlled by Qin immigrants and consisted of twelve city-states. Strictly speaking, they were descendants of Yan people who fled during the Spring and Autumn Period, and were also known as Qinhan.

Byeonhan is a multi-ethnic immigrant group, with its leaders including Yemaek and Han Chinese, making them a mixed race. Their strength is similar to that of Jinhan, and they have been working together with Jinhan to fight against Mahan.

Buyeo was also established by the Yemaek people. Since the Buyeo king had already surrendered, Mahan originally intended to surrender after Gongsun Do marched south.

Unfortunately, they chose the wrong target to surrender to.

King Mahan sent some Han female slaves to Gongsun Du, surrendered to Gongsun Du, and called Gongsun Du "King of Liaodong of the Great Han"...

This put Gongsun Du in a very uncomfortable position, and he dared not accept such a title now.

It was one thing for people to declare themselves kings behind closed doors in the past, but now... these uncultured Yemaek people, they could at least say "Your Majesty, spare my life," but they insist on being kings of Liaodong...

Isn't this seeking death?

At that time, Xu Huang had just returned from Goguryeo and was on the Yalu River behind Gongsun Du.

After incorporating the pirates, Shi Ren also had several thousand soldiers.

With his son Gongsun Kang with Xu Huang and the army's supplies and logistics in Shi Ren's hands, Gongsun Du dared not make any fundamental mistakes. Since Ma Han had called him king, he had to destroy Ma Han to prove his innocence.

Gongsun Du then killed the Mahan envoy on the spot and led his army into Wirye Castle (Hanseong, also known as Seoul).

Jinhan and Byeonhan had been fighting against Mahan, and upon seeing this situation, they immediately contacted Shiren and expressed their willingness to attack Mahan.

As a result, King Mahan, who had originally intended to surrender, was surrounded on all sides and was defeated in one battle by a coalition of forces.

Shi Ren landed at Incheon, and he made many contributions in this landing operation.

Although the Mahan tribes may seem to have a large territory, their fighting strength is really no match for the Han army or the Wuhuan.

Chenhan and Byeonhan made the right choice in contacting Shiren. Although Shiren was only a separate commander, he could indeed represent Liu Shou in surrendering.

Just one month later, Liu Bei announced the re-establishment of the four commanderies of Han, which were collectively known as 'Yizhou'.

No governor was appointed, and Xu Huang temporarily took charge of the Protectorate of Yizhou. Because there were too many ethnic minorities in this area, it was under military control, much like the Protectorate of the Western Regions.

After this battle, Gongsun Du was transferred to Wandu, the former capital of Goguryeo, to serve as the Commandant of the Eastern Barbarians, monitoring Buyeo and Goguryeo.

Shi Ren officially returned to Liu Bei's service and temporarily took over as the governor of Zhenfan, which was indeed a great achievement in terms of prestige overseas.

Shi Ren has already begun to try to go out to sea to survey the terrain of Yamatai (Kyushu Island). It is estimated that the Incheon landing operation gave him more confidence to go further. He didn't hide it either, saying that he wanted to build another 'Yingzhou' in Yamatai.

At this point, there were no more enemies in the entire Youzhou region.

Liu Bei also returned to his army at this time.

The final work in Liaodong was handed over to Zhang Liao.

Zhang Liao's decisive victory over Tadun earned him immense prestige in Liaodong, making him the most suitable person to guard Liaodong and ensure the people's well-being.

Xu Miao was rewarded for his service in the army and will serve as the Chief Administrator of Liaodong, working with Tian Chou to relocate Han Chinese to Yizhou.

Moreover, the Han people who migrated to Yizhou this time can be considered the aristocratic class; now, Han people are considered the masters on the Korean Peninsula.

The saying goes, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." It's already a miracle that Liu Bei didn't carry out a massacre; no one intended to elevate the racial status of the Yemaek and Maban.

……

Having acquired a large number of horses, the Han Dynasty also annihilated most of the northern nomadic tribes, restoring its invincible prestige. No foreign tribes would attempt to challenge its limits in the short term.

After returning to Ji County, Liu Bei and Qian Zhao discussed it and decided to submit a memorial to the emperor to grant Bu Dugen and Que Ji the title of marquis.

After all, Budugen and Queji did indeed defeat Fuluohan, which was a good performance, so they deserved to be rewarded.

This also means that the Xianbei are no longer recognized as a kingdom.

Since Liu Bei was to grant titles of nobility, he should have sent Budugen and Queji to see the emperor. Instead, he sent messengers to summon them to meet him.

Budugen and Queji had no objection to the conferment of titles and showed obedience, but they did not come to Ji County in person, saying that "there are still bandits in the west".

However, they all sent envoys with over a hundred white horses to Liu Bei, claiming they were tributes to the emperor.

They seem to be feeling guilty, afraid that once they come, they won't be able to leave.

But having this attitude is fine, since Liu Bei still has a backup plan.

The fire caused by Zhang Fei was highly praised by Liu Bei, who then planned to implement "fire cultivation for border defense."

Qian Zhao was transferred from Protector of the Wuhuan to Governor of Youzhou. From then on, there would be no more Protector of the Wuhuan. This position would become history forever because the Wuhuan power no longer existed.

The Wuhuan people still exist, but they are at most a group of exiled people. The Xianbei and Wuhuan have actually been destroyed.

The brothers Xianyu Yin and Xianyu Fu were appointed as the Prefect of Yanbei and the Commandant of Yanbei, respectively. These were two newly created positions, because a new "Yanbei Commandery" was to be established north of Yanshan, with its capital located on the battlefield by the Luan River.

A new city will be built on the banks of the Luan River, and it will be called 'Ranhu City'.

That scorched land, spanning hundreds of miles, was actually a treasure in Liu Bei's eyes.

The Luanhe Plain is a large grassland surrounded by rivers. Zhang Fei's fire may have burned more than 200,000 hectares (about 9,000 square kilometers) of grassland.

This was indeed a devastating disaster, but for the grasslands, it was just a temporary scar.

The land nourished by wood ash will yield even more lush vegetation the following year, the fire will kill off large numbers of prairie rodents and parasites, and the risk of plague will be significantly reduced—making it the most suitable place for raising horses. Various tribes have seized many horses from the Wuhuan and Xianbei people, making this an ideal breeding ground.

Of course, before breeding, people had to be relocated to the border areas.

Relocating people to Ranhu City wasn't too difficult, it just required time and food.

Liu Bei had Qian Zhao establish a three-year tax exemption policy to encourage people to raise horses in the Luanhe Plain. The government would buy cattle, horses, and sheep with cash. As long as people went there, the government would provide everything from houses to breeding horses to pastures.

Meanwhile, Guo Jia, as the Grand Commander of the Han Dynasty, returned to Linzi ahead of time, preparing to spend money lavishly.

The position of Du Nei Ling was equivalent to that of a national-level cashier; this was Guo Jia's role in the treasury.

The money wasn't for rewards, but to help Hebei get through the famine.

This year, Youzhou indeed had a complete crop failure, and only three counties south of Ganling in Jizhou were able to be self-sufficient, while hundreds of thousands of people in the north were starving.

Liu Bei then sent Guo Jia back quickly to deliver a message, instructing Zhuge Liang and Xun You to prepare rewards.

This time is different from before; the merit of killing the Hu will be richly rewarded.

Guan Yu destroyed the Southern Xiongnu royal court, defeated the allied forces of Gao Gan and Shanggu Wuhuan, and forced Fuyu to surrender. This was an unparalleled achievement in destroying a country and expanding its territory. Liu Bei appointed Guan Yu as General of the Vanguard and Marquis of Xishan—Xishan was the place where Guan Yu destroyed the Xiongnu royal court.

Although Zhang Fei arrived late, his fire burned down most of the Xianbei, effectively ending the war. Moreover, this fire expanded the Han Dynasty's territory by hundreds of miles, a great achievement in conquering and expanding the borders of a nation. He was appointed Right General and Marquis of Dingyuan.

Zhang Liao defeated Tadun in battle, annihilated the Wuhuan in western Liao, seized countless cattle, sheep, and horses, and brought back tens of thousands of Han Chinese who had been captured. Although he did not expand his territory, he did recover the land that had been occupied by the Wuhuan. He was then appointed General Who Conquers the North and Marquis of Juyang.

Xu Huang had rendered meritorious service in the fight against the Southern Xiongnu, and he also marched to the capital of Goguryeo and forced its king to surrender, which can be considered as a merit of destroying the country. He was awarded the title of General Who Pacifies Bandits and Marquis of Duxiang.

Zhao Yun had fewer military achievements in foreign wars, but he pursued and killed thousands of Xianbei in the east, capturing tens of thousands of cattle and horses. He was awarded the title of General of Martial Might and Marquis of Duxiang. His military rank was slightly lower than the others mentioned above, but he was still in charge of supervising military law and protecting the central army.

Zhang He and Xianyu Yin both held their cities firmly under unfavorable circumstances, and drove the Hu people of Shanggu and Yuyang counties out of the border, restoring the territory of the Han Dynasty. They were both appointed as Lieutenant Generals and Marquises within the Passes.

None of the generals under Tian Yu, Qian Zhao, Bai Yao, and others were appointed as generals, but they were all granted the title of Marquis within the Pass.

All soldiers who fought against foreign enemies were richly rewarded, and each of them was allocated a large piece of land in Youzhou. The northern frontier had plenty of land, and the rewards were distributed according to the number of enemy soldiers killed. Each head of a barbarian soldier could be divided into 500 mu of land, and the soldiers were allowed to raise cattle, sheep and horses with foreign tribes.

Those who did not want the land could transfer it to the brothers who stayed behind, or "rent" it to the Yizhou Protectorate to raise horses.

This was, of course, to allow the brothers who remained in Yizhou to continue implementing the existing policy of land reclamation. However, these fields were the private property of the soldiers, and were not very suitable for growing grain. Most of them were grasslands, which were more suitable for animal husbandry.

Each unit has accomplished great feats, and the morale of the soldiers has been raised to an extremely high level.

Only Liu Bei was demoted due to collective punishment, but he is still a team leader.

However, upon returning to Linzi, Liu Bei was given a new position.

……

The decree stated:

I, having inherited the Mandate of Heaven and ruled over the eight directions, only wish to ensure the peace of the four seas, which truly depends on the merits of my trusted ministers.

For many years, the northern border of the Han Dynasty remained unsettled, with barbarian cavalry rampaging and leaving countless people devastated.

Fortunately, I have the capable minister Liu Bei, who has been entrusted with this important task by me. He has led his troops with great courage and strength, personally taking charge of the drum and wading through dangerous rivers.

They conquered the Wuhuan in the fields of Bailang and crushed the Xianbei north of Xuanshuo.

Wherever the banners pointed, the northern deserts were cleared of dust; wherever the thunder roared, the enemy chieftains fled. Thus, the borderlands were forever at peace, the beacon fires were undisturbed, and the might of China spread throughout the nine regions.

In the past, when the Duke of Zhou led an eastern expedition, the four states submitted; when Fang Shu arrived, the barbarian state of Jing came to pay tribute.

Looking at the merits of Lord Liang, he traversed the vast wilderness to pacify the desolate borders, and coordinated military strategies to uphold the law of Heaven. His achievements were not only comparable to those of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, but also to the loyalty of Yi Yin and Lü Shang.

I have learned from the past and present, and I believe that the position of prime minister cannot be filled by anyone without great talent, and the important office cannot be filled by anyone without meritorious service.

The virtuous and capable Marquis Liang is renowned for his achievements, which cover the entire world. He is fit to oversee all affairs of state and illuminate the workings of Heaven.

He is hereby appointed to the position of Chancellor, with the authority to establish his own office and be granted the same rank as the Three Excellencies, and to be granted the Yellow Axe and to lead the affairs of the Secretariat.

He was in charge of the central government, oversaw the affairs of the central government, and brought peace and prosperity to the country.

The proclamation was made known far and wide.

Awesome!

—This was written by Zhuge Jin and stamped with the imperial seal by Zhuge Liang.

The Chancellor of the Han Dynasty.

Liu Bei actually didn't know about this...

As soon as he returned to Linzi, Zhuge Liang and all the officials of Linzi greeted him fifty miles outside the city and issued this edict on the spot.

Liu Bei was completely bewildered...

It's normal for the prime minister to issue an edict—he deserves any reward for his great achievement in destroying the Wuhuan and Xianbei.

Especially since Liu Bei himself was dismissed due to being implicated in others' misdeeds, in order to maintain stability, Jian Yong, Zuo Yuan, Xu Shu and others would definitely open another mansion for Liu Bei. The only one who could be on par with the General of the Guards was the Three Dukes.

The problem is... Liu Bei became Zhuge Liang's prime minister...

Isn't something a little off?
But no one else thought there was anything wrong with it.

Moreover, Zhuge Liang, in accordance with Liu Bei's memorial, conferred titles and honors upon the generals, including Budugen and Queji. These matters were all handled in accordance with Liu Bei's memorial.

However, the titles of Marquis bestowed upon Budugen and Queji were equal.

One was a Marquis of the Western Rong, and the other was a Marquis of the Northern Rong.

Queji's fief was in Tanhan Mountain, and Budugen's fief was in Baishan Mountain, north of Guangning...

—Tanhan Mountain is Budugen's territory, and Baishan is Queji's current territory.

This was obviously intentional.

Let's see if Budugen and Queji will fight... It's their fault for not coming to see Liu Bei in person.

Of course, upon his return, Liu Bei also had to face bad news.

There is still a lot to be done.

The north is short of food, and this matter needs to be dealt with as soon as possible; otherwise, the current pacification will not be considered a true pacification.

The situation in Chang'an also needs to be addressed. Jia Xu has already sent a message back to Linzi, but it hadn't reached Liaodong before.

Because Zuo Yuan was busy dealing with more important matters in Linzi.

On the platform where Liu Bei was to be appointed Prime Minister, Zuo Yuan whispered to Liu Bei as he placed the crown on Liu Bei's head: "His Majesty has gone missing... It was I who sent A Liang out to welcome the triumphant army, and I personally bestowed the titles to put everyone at ease."

"Does Ah Liang know about this?"

Liu Bei glanced at Zhuge Liang, who was holding the bronze axe and preparing to be appointed prime minister.

Fortunately, Zhuge Liang remained calm.

"Only Chan Guan and a few guards knew about it. Apart from Xianhe, I didn't reveal this to anyone."

Zuo Yuan shook his head: "But Cao Mengde sent a letter last month, inviting Your Majesty to Yingchuan to handle the funeral arrangements for the Grand Empress Dowager. Everyone knows this. If Your Majesty doesn't go to Yingchuan, then..."

Liu Bei scanned the crowd below the stage, not seeing Diao Chan: "Where is Chan Guan? Has she disappeared too?"

(End of this chapter)