The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

Liu Mu coughed twice after being stared at, then looked at Zhao Liangdong, Wang Fuchen, and Zhao Yingkui.

"Zhao Liangdong, Wang Fuchen, and Zhao Yingkui, all three of you are exceptionally talented individuals who have abandoned the darkness and joined the Han, and each of you has made great contributions by leading troops into Han territory and stabilizing the north!"

"Therefore, I have made the decision!"

"Zhao Liangdong is hereby granted the title of Marquis of Dongchang, a hereditary title!"

"The title of Marquis of Pingliang is hereby conferred upon Wang Fuchen, and the hereditary title shall be passed down without fail!"

"Zhao Yingkui is hereby granted the title of Marquis of Pingyang, a hereditary title!"

This time, Liu Mu stopped there and made no further promises. He had already fulfilled one promise by bestowing the title of King of Jin upon Wanyan Wu, thus setting an example.

The rest is up to them!

As expected, the three of them had no doubts about Liu Mu's lack of promises, and were instead full of enthusiasm.

Wang Fuchen, who was most determined to be granted the title of king, kowtowed three times in a row, causing his forehead to become red and swollen.

"Your Majesty, I, your humble servant, am ready to go through fire and water for Your Majesty!"

Upon seeing this, Liu Mu quickly waved his hand. He had no objection to Wang Fuchen's undisguised ambition. It was a good thing for a man to dare to think and act; it was the driving force for progress, as long as he wasn't eyeing the dragon throne beneath him.

Liu Mu finally looked at Zhao Weishang.

"Zhao Weishang, I hereby bestow upon you the title of Earl of Wuwei, and for the time being, you shall train cavalry in the capital garrison!"

Zhao Weishang never expected that he would be included, and that he would be granted the title of Earl. This was an unimaginable fortune.

"Your subject Zhao Weishang thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness!"

With the military officers already appointed, the civil officials were eagerly awaiting their appointments. They didn't want titles, but rather the official positions they dreamed of.

Liu Mu didn't bother with formalities and directly took the book of civil official rewards from Zhao Fengnian's hand.

"Ouyang Jing, you are my first civil official. You managed the foundation of Wuyuan Prefecture exceptionally well, and your administration of the Ministry of Works after arriving in the capital was equally efficient!"

"I have decreed that you be granted the hereditary title of Earl of Xuande, and simultaneously appointed you as the Minister of Works, one of the Six Ministries!"

The Earl of Xuande believed that promoting virtuous governance was the dream of civil officials.

The position of Minister was also the dream of civil officials.

You just got it like that?

Now all Ouyang Jing wants to say is, what's wrong with being a dog? As long as you follow the right person, you can still be a god who devours the sun.

"Your subject, Ouyang Jing, thanks Your Majesty for your great favor!"

Ouyang Jing's abilities have always been a mystery. He can do everything well, even if it's just average. He's even had contact with the Ministry of Works. Although his work wasn't perfect, it was still excellent despite its flaws.

"Li Guangdi, Zhou Peigong!"

"Both of you accompanied me to the capital, and you handled both civil and military affairs, saving me a great deal of worry!"

The two men were already kneeling below the steps of the emperor. As civil officials, they were more reserved and immediately cupped their hands in greeting upon hearing this.

"It's all thanks to His Majesty's promotion!"

"Civil officials are particular about things," Liu Mu shook his head upon hearing this.

"Li Guangdi is hereby granted the title of Earl of Chongxian, and you are simultaneously appointed as the Minister of Revenue, one of the Six Ministries!"

"Zhou Pei is hereby granted the title of Earl of Xianna and concurrently appointed Minister of War, one of the Six Ministries!"

"Respecting the virtuous" and "offering gifts" are both top-notch titles.

It was almost only for those who founded a country or made great contributions that one received this honor, which was practically equivalent to being remembered in history. Upon hearing this, the two men immediately kowtowed in excitement.

"Your subject, Li Guangdi, thanks Your Majesty for your great favor!"

"Your subject, Zhou Peigong, thanks Your Majesty for your great favor!"

That was all Liu Mu could do. The empire wasn't unified yet, so he could only bestow titles of earl upon civil officials as a way of assessing their future performance; he couldn't possibly satisfy everyone at once.

Next, Liu Mu promoted Zhang Ying to Minister of Personnel, Xu Qianxue to Minister of Justice, and Chen Jingting to Minister of Rites. Since they had no founding merits, they were only promoted but not granted titles.

The three of them were quite satisfied. Before, they were just compilers in the Hanlin Academy, but now they had suddenly become ministers. What could they possibly be dissatisfied with?

"Your Majesty, please set a new era name!"

As the Minister of Rites, Chen Jingting stepped forward immediately, which is the duty of the Minister of Rites.

This time, Liu Mu did not speak directly. Instead, he took a book from Zhao Fengnian and walked to the center of the hall.

"Everyone, come and take a look!"

"This is a New Year calendar manufactured by the Ministry of Industry!"

Because this was not announced in advance, everyone was very curious and gathered around to watch.

This calendar was exactly the same as the old calendars of later generations, with very smooth but rough paper, and the cover was decorated with the twelve zodiac animals.

Each sheet represents a day, and it contains the taboos and auspicious signs mentioned in the Lu Ban Book, which clearly states what should and should not be done.

Liu Mu unfolded the first page, which read: "January 1, 1876, the Year of the Wood Rabbit in the Year of Yimao of the Hongwu Emperor!"

"I have decided to establish a new era of prosperity and martial prowess. However, from now on, the reign of any emperor of the Great Han Dynasty will begin on the day of the ascension of Emperor Gaozu of the Great Han Dynasty, Liu Bang, which is the year 1876 of the Great Han Dynasty!"

"From now on, when the emperor of our Great Han changes the era name, he only needs to issue a new imperial calendar. This way, all the people of our Great Han, including all the vassal states, will know about the Great Han!"

After Liu Mu finished speaking, the many civil officials could only sense his intense ambition—it was an attempt to conquer all who were disloyal.

These people were all elites; they knew very well how big the world was, unlike what later generations said, that the ancients did not know how big the world was.

Did Qin Shi Huang not know about the Western Regions? Did Emperor Wu of Han not know about the countries beyond the Western Regions? Did Emperor Taizong of Tang not know about the Indian subcontinent? They all knew!

But why not conquer? It's simply because productivity couldn't keep up, and the army couldn't keep up.

If there were trains to transport troops and provisions, do you think they would go and conquer the local areas? Even just experiencing exotic customs would be worthwhile for an emperor.

These civil officials were also worried that Liu Mu would engage in excessive military campaigns, but today was a good day, and they had just received benefits from Liu Mu, so they certainly couldn't slap him in the face. Therefore, they all bowed and offered their hands in respect.

"Your Majesty is wise. With this imperial calendar circulating among the people, they will only know the Han Dynasty and nothing else!"

Having accomplished this, Liu Mu received congratulations from his ministers, and he was overjoyed, quickly waving his hand in appreciative laughter.

"My lords, today is the New Year's Day holiday, so I will not keep you any longer. Go home and enjoy the festival!"

"Starting today, I will take a two-week rest period!"

After Liu Mu finished speaking, he strode towards the side hall. This imperial robe was already uncomfortable, and he had worked too hard last night, so he needed to change into ordinary clothes to rest.

"Respectfully bidding farewell to His Majesty the Emperor!"

As they watched Liu Mu's retreating figure, all the civil and military officials bowed in reverence. This was not flattery, but rather a sign of respect for the emperor's generosity.

……

The Ministry of Works acted very quickly; the pre-printed imperial calendars were distributed throughout Beijing on the same day. Those who wanted to buy them had to pay ten copper coins, while in rural areas, each village received one copy free of charge.

In Deren Hutong in Beijing, an elderly scholar, nearing fifty, wearing wooden reading glasses, was flipping through the pages of the imperial calendar. When he saw the words "Hongwu," his expression changed drastically, and he began to mutter to himself.

"Our masters have all been killed by the Han dogs. The imperial calendar has already been distributed. I wonder how long it will take for Emperor Kangxi to win back the country."

As the old master spoke, he lifted the Confucian hat on his head, revealing a thin braid, and took out a bronze mirror to examine it.

"This clean and hygienic scalp, this charming little braid, that's the very foundation of our slavery!"

Just then, a chubby little boy who looked about eleven or twelve years old, carrying a pretty little schoolbag, wobbled into the school.

The master quickly put on his hat.