Tiger Owl

Chapter 211 changed the name to Chu
The news of the lord's son's birth has spread, and people have been congratulating him along the way.

As they entered the outer room of the courtyard, Lu Xun and Ma Liang stood up together and offered their congratulations with smiles.

Congratulations, General, on the birth of your son!

"Congratulations, General!"

Gan Ning also laughed and said, "You two should hurry up and get married. If you get married and have children soon, we'll let you go to the local areas to serve as officials!"

In fact, the two were engaged, but they hadn't gotten married yet.

Gan Ning returned to his official residence and had just sat down when Lu Su arrived.

"Congratulations, General, on the birth of your son! I hear that both mother and child are safe and sound. That's wonderful!"

Gan Ning smiled and nodded, saying, "Strategist, do me a favor!"

"General, please speak!"

"My eldest son has been born, and I'd like to celebrate and share the joy with everyone. I have no experience with this, so what suggestions do you have, strategist?"

Lu Su laughed and said, "Let's follow the way Sun Bofu was happy when his eldest son was born. First, exempt this year's taxes; second, reward the soldiers and give the army three days off; third, give each official and clerk one hundred coins and two red eggs; fourth, grant a general amnesty. Although this is the practice in Jiangdong, I think it is just as suitable for us. This way, everyone can bless the young master."

Gan Ning happily said, "These four suggestions are all good. I can copy their homework now. Let's arrange it this way!"

Lu Su thought for a moment and then said, "In addition, now that the general has an heir, there are many things to do."

"Like what?"

“The name of a state does not necessarily have to be so specific. It can be more vague. For example, everyone knows that the name of Sun Wu is Wu. There is also Liu Bei, whose banner is said to be Shu. Cao Cao was enfeoffed as the Duke of Wei, and his banner was Wei. Ma Teng’s state was Liang, and he was known as the Western Liang Army.”

Gan Ning nodded. "I'll think about it. Everyone, please think about it."

Lu Su bowed and left, while Gan Ning paced back and forth in the official room with his hands behind his back. Nanchang was formerly known as Hongdu, or Chang, and to the east it was called Yu, but these names were too narrow. He now controlled nine prefectures, covering a vast area, so how could he be limited to Yuzhang Prefecture?
Gan Ning sat down, picked up his brush and wrote a large character 'Chu'. This should be the name of his state. Apart from Nanjun, most of the land of Chu was in his hands. He was truly the ruler of Chu.

To distinguish it from Eastern Wu, it can be commonly referred to as Western Chu.

That afternoon, Gan Ning issued the Marquis of Wuchang Order, in celebration of the birth of his son, wishing to share the joy with the people and the army, and hereby issued four orders.

Order 1: To reward the three armed forces, the army shall be given a three-day leave effective immediately.

Order number two: All officials and clerks in the nine prefectures shall each be given a red bag containing fifty coins and two red eggs.

Order Three: This year's poll tax is cancelled. The poll tax is levied on adults in Gansu and Ningxia. Children's poll tax has long been exempted. This year is special, so even the poll tax is exempted.

Order Four: A general amnesty is to be granted in the nine prefectures controlled by the Yuzhang Army. However, not all criminals will be pardoned. Except for nine serious crimes such as murder and adultery, all minor crimes will be pardoned. When the news spread, Chaisang City was in an uproar. It was late November, and next month was the time to collect taxes. Every household had to prepare their tax money. Unexpectedly, at this crucial moment, the government posted a notice that taxes would be waived. How could the people not be overjoyed?

Gan Ning then convened a military and political meeting, which was attended by three military advisors, two chief and deputy chief secretaries, and two chief and deputy military commanders.

"Let's discuss the issue of the name of our country. After all, we now control nine prefectures, and the imperial court will not give us any official title. Just like the imperial court did not give Jiangdong any official title, but Jiangdong calls itself Eastern Wu, its army is officially called the Eastern Wu Army, and its regime is called the Sun Wu regime. So we have to give ourselves a title, and the first thing we need is a name for our country. I suggest the name of our country be Chu. Does anyone have any objections?"

There was a great deal of discussion in the hall. Jiang Wan said with some concern, "If we declare ourselves the State of Chu without the court's consent, it would be tantamount to open rebellion. Cao Cao would then have a legitimate reason to attack us. General, I suggest that we do not give Cao Cao any leverage for the time being."

Gan Ning smiled slightly and said, "I have also considered this issue. We can learn from Jiangdong's approach and use a roundabout method. Because Wuchang County and Wuchang Prefecture are always confused, which is very inconvenient, I plan to rename Wuchang County to Chu County. Wuchang County will then disappear, and my title of Marquis of Wuchang County will be changed to Marquis of Chu. Once there is a Marquis of Chu, then the State of Chu will be formed, and our banner will be officially changed to Chu."

Bu Zhi laughed and said, "General, your intention is a bit too obvious. Cao Cao might not agree to it!"

Lu Su smiled slightly and said, "On the contrary, Cao Cao will definitely agree."

"Oh? How do you know?" Bu Zhi asked, puzzled.

"There are two reasons. First, Cao Cao disagrees. If we change our names and appoint ourselves, Cao Cao will certainly not agree to us breaking away from the court. Otherwise, what would be the point of him holding the emperor hostage to command the princes? He certainly won't allow us to set this precedent. So, he can only agree to our name change in the name of the court."

Secondly, if we change our name to Chu, then Cao Cao will have an excuse to follow this precedent and rename his army the Wei army. The Cao army would be a family affair, while the Wei army would be a state affair.

Lu Su's words convinced everyone, and they unanimously agreed to Gan Ning's plan to change Wuchang County to Chu County, and Gan Ning's title of Marquis of Wuchang was changed to Marquis of Chu. At the same time, they submitted a memorial to the court, requesting the court to approve the name change.

The day after Gan Ning's son was born, the rudimentary form of the State of Chu was also established, and Gan Ning's title was officially changed to Marquis of Chu.

In the afternoon, the wet nurse arrived. Her surname was Wang, and she was introduced to Gan Ning by Yang Jing, the magistrate of Chaisang County. She was the wife of Yang's coachman and had just given birth to a son, but the son did not survive.

Wang and her husband also have two daughters to support. Her husband doesn't earn much as a gardener, so the family desperately needs money to make ends meet.

Ms. Wang had plenty of breast milk. She picked up the crying baby and breastfed him. The baby immediately quieted down and suckled at the breast, clearly hungry.

Da Qiao was truly grateful. She asked Wang to sit down and inquired about her family situation. After thinking for a moment, Da Qiao said, "There are several courtyards next to the Marquis's residence, which are for the steward and physicians. There should be extra courtyards. I will have the steward arrange for you and your family to move in. That will be more convenient. In addition, I will give you ten strings of cash a month. I will ask you to take care of the children."

Ten strings of cash! Wang never dreamed that she could earn ten strings of cash a month. She was so excited that she trembled all over. Her husband could only earn five hundred cash a month, but her income was twenty times that of her husband. She was even provided with a courtyard to live in.

Madam Wang was extremely grateful and said, "Please rest assured, Madam, I will take good care of the young master. I will be there day and night."

Da Qiao said with some concern, "What about your two daughters? They're still so young!"

“It’s okay. My mother-in-law can take good care of them, and my husband can too. I can also go back to check on them when my son is asleep. It won’t affect anything.”

Da Qiao nodded. "I'll have your husband come to my house as a coachman later! That way it will be convenient for everyone."

(End of this chapter)