Mi Han

Chapter 247
Although it was late at night, the ministers seemed to have expected that Liu Bei would summon them, so under Liu Bei's summoning, the ministers quickly gathered in Liu Bei's bedroom.

Because it was not a formal court meeting, after the ministers arrived, Liu Bei asked the ministers to find a seat in the bedroom.

There are not many ministers called by Liu Bei tonight, and they are all people worthy of his trust in terms of loyalty or resourcefulness.

Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, Shang Shu Ling Liu Ba, Shizhong Huang Quan, Yizhou Zhizhong Engaged Yang Hong, etc.

After the ministers sat down, Liu Bei asked:

"Now that I practice Zuo, the news will reach Jiangdong in less than half a month."

"What do you think, how should Gu Dang reward Sun Quan?"

When Liu Bei asked his question, he looked at the ministers present, hoping that they could come up with a solution.

After several ministers learned of Liu Bei's question, they began to think about it.

When Liu Bei was the king of Hanzhong, although there was a gap in identity from Sun Quan, they were both Hanchens in essence.

Therefore, after the First World War of Public Security, the relationship between Liu Bei and Sun Quan became allies again, which is justified by emotion and reason.

Sun Quan would not feel too wronged in his heart.

But now Liu Bei Jianzuo proclaimed himself emperor and became the new emperor of the Han family.

The Son of Heaven is the supreme being in this world, and Sun Quan's original title was no more than a general of hussars. In name, Liu Bei is now Sun Quan's king. Such a disparity in status makes it unsuitable for the two parties to become allies.

At least on the surface, the relationship between the two parties cannot exist in the form of an ally.

This is a matter of righteousness and fame, and it must not be sloppy at all.

But in fact, Sun Quan is a vassal of the separatist side, and he is in charge of the Jiangdong government by himself, so once he learns that Liu Bei has proclaimed himself emperor, he will definitely be dissatisfied.

An important reason why Sun Quan attacked Jingzhou at the beginning was that Liu Bei became the king of Hanzhong, and his status was higher than that of Sun Quan, which made him dissatisfied.

Now Liu Bei's status is not only higher than his.

Moreover, according to the results of Liu Bei's rewarding generals today, Sun Quan's original Hussar generals of the Han Dynasty were all given to Ma Chao by Liu Bei.

According to Sun Quan's character, it's no surprise that he can feel happy in his heart.

The current situation facing the Han Dynasty is that there is a mortal enemy against Wei in the north, and Sun Quan, the "Hanchen" whose attitude may change in the east. .
Among them, rebelling against Wei is the hatred of the country and family of the great Han, and the relationship between the two naturally has no room for change.

And once the Han Dynasty renews the Han unification, the first thing to do in the future must be the Northern Expedition.

Only by setting the Northern Expedition against Wei as the national policy of Jinhan can the orthodoxy of Jinhan be further strengthened.

So Liu Bei asked the ministers how he should reward Sun Quan.

Liu Bei's questioning is enough to reflect his attitude towards Sun Quan, which is to give priority to appeasement.

In history, the first thing Liu Bei did after he became emperor was to lead his army to march eastward. That was because Guan Yu's death made him lose his mind, no matter how much the ministers tried to persuade him, it was useless.

Now Guan Yu is living well, and Jingzhou has not been lost, so Liu Bei's overall view still exists.

And Liu Bei's view is exactly the view of most ministers in the Han court.

After Liu Bei sent an inquiry, Yang Hong, who was in charge of Yizhou Zhizhong, said to Liu Bei:
"In my opinion, it is better to confer the title of Grand Sima on Sun Quan."

When Yang Hong's suggestion was uttered, there were not many expressions of agreement on the faces of the officials present.

This is because Da Sima's official position is too high.

In the pre-Qin period, there was the title of military officer Da Sima.

For example, the great Sima Rongguang of the Yellow Emperor, Jiang Ziya, the great Sima of the Western Zhou Dynasty, and Tian Rangju, the great Sima of the State of Qi.

It can be seen from this that as early as the pre-Qin period, Da Sima was the title of a very high-ranking military officer.

After Qin Shihuang unified the world, he set up a Taiwei in the central government, but not a big Sima.

The Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system, and in the early Western Han Dynasty, Taiwei was in charge of the position of Da Sima in the central court.

Later Xiaowu Emperor Liu Che dismissed the Taiwei in the second year of Jianyuan, and in the fourth year of Yuanshou, the Grand Sima was installed. The great general Wei Qing and the hussar general Huo Qubing had done a lot of work, and they were specially named Da Sima and crowned general.

But at that time, Da Sima was only an official, and there was no specific seal, ribbon and salary.

During the reign of Emperor Xiaozhao, Huo Guang was in power in the name of "Great Sima, the Great General, and Minister of the Book", forming a situation where "political affairs are determined by the Great General Guang".

After Emperor Xiaocheng came to the throne, Wang Feng served as the assistant of the Great General Sima, "All political affairs, big or small, come from Feng, and the emperor never raised his hand."

Since then, all ministers who have been promoted to the top Sima have naturally had the power to assist the government, and sometimes they are no different from the emperor in terms of power.

After the establishment of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the official system of the Eastern Han Dynasty basically followed the official system of the late Western Han Dynasty. The chief minister was the head of the three princes and was in charge of the military.

Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu took the general Wu Han as the great Sima and Du Mao as the general.

Obviously, at this time, Da Sima is no longer an official title, but a specific official position with power above the general.

Later, Liu Xiu felt that Da Sima had too much power and could even threaten the power of the emperor, so after Wu Han's death, Liu Xiu changed Da Sima to Taiwei.

By the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Sangong had become a vacant post, and there was another Da Sima in addition to the Sangong, and the Da Sima was above the Sangong, the Taifu, and the general.

If the great general is the pinnacle of a minister, then the honor and authority of the great Sima have even surpassed the category of a minister, and can be compared with the emperor.

Such as the former great Sima Liu Yu.

After Liu Yu served as the great Sima, Yuan Shao even thought about supporting Liu Yu as the new emperor, which shows the position of the great Sima in the hearts of the subjects of the Han Dynasty.

Today's emperor Liu Bei was also called Da Sima when he was called King of Hanzhong, which shows that Da Sima's status is equivalent to that of a king.

Compared with the great general, in addition to the difference in status, the big Sima also has a big difference in power.

The general is the pinnacle of being a minister and military officer, but most of his military power is in control of the central army.

If the general is out of the town, then the general's power to command the troops still needs the specific appointment of the emperor.

For example, Dou Xian, the great general of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Guan Yu, the great general of the present Han Dynasty, Liu Bei specifically stated in the imperial edict that he supervised all the military forces in the East with integrity.

But Da Sima is different. Once a minister becomes Da Sima, he can mobilize all the military power in the name of the country.

For Da Sima, such things as opening a government office and governing affairs, and holding festivals are all secondary powers.

People who have served as chief ministers since the Han Dynasty, Wei Huo aside, when Huo Guang and Wang Mang served as chief ministers, they could directly abolish the emperor!
In fact, Yang Hong suggested that Liu Bei canonize Sun Quan as Da Sima, which is also the best solution he thinks under the current situation.

Rewards are nothing more than starting from three aspects, official position, title, and actual power.

Sun Quan is actually a prince who ruled Jiangdong, and his actual power does not need to be rewarded at all.

Before that, Sun Quan's official position was General Hussars and Marquis of Nanchang.

Therefore, if Liu Bei wanted to reward Sun Quan, he could only start with these two aspects.

And since it is a reward, it must be to promote Sun Quan's official position.

According to the military system of the Han Dynasty, the hussar generals are the generals and the Sima.

As for Sun Quan's title of Marquis of Nanchang, he is already a county marquis, and the titles of princes and kings go up from county marquis.

According to the white horse alliance oath of Han Taizu, it is impossible for the king to be granted to Sun Quan.

As for the Duke would have been a good compromise.

But with the two role models of Wang Mang and Cao Cao, the duke has become the standard match for a usurper, so the duke cannot be granted to Sun Quan.

Under such circumstances, Yang Hong believed that the only way to satisfy Sun Quan was to confer Da Sima on him.

Just because of the particularity and importance of the post of Great Sima, it is impossible for Zhuge Liang to agree to make Sun Quan the first Great Sima in the Han Dynasty.

Apart from other things, if Guan Yu knew that Sun Quan had become the great Sima, he would definitely be the first to express dissatisfaction.

After Yang Hongjian said, Zhuge Liang immediately came out to pay his respects and said: "Sun Quan is originally a foreign relative, if he is granted the post of Grand Sima, who will be able to control him in name in the future?"

Zhuge Liang's words hit the nail on the head, and directly made Sun Quan's Da Sima impossible.

Although Mrs. Sun, Sun Quan's sister, has passed away, she was once Liu Bei's regular wife after all.

According to the tradition of the Han Dynasty, the main criterion for judging whether it is a relative is whether there is a woman in the family who has been the wife of the emperor.

Even if the emperor's main wife died or left no heirs to become the new emperor, the status of the relatives of the woman's family would not change.

For example, Liang Ji, the general of the Eastern Han Dynasty, or the current Mi family in the East China Sea.

Although Mrs. Mi is no longer there, in the minds of all the officials, the Mi family in Donghai is still a real family of relatives.

The status of foreign relatives originally had special significance in the politics of the Han Dynasty.

If Sun Quan is allowed to enter the title of Da Sima again as a foreign relative, as Zhuge Liang said, it is good that Liu Bei is alive. If Liu Bei is not around in the future, then Sun Quan will be the first auxiliary minister in name.

Coupled with the fact that he is actually a prince of the separatist side, the newly established Han Dynasty may cause a huge civil strife.

Now Liu Bei is no longer the king of Hanzhong. If Liu Bei used to be the king of Hanzhong to present Sun Quan as the great Sima, it would be nothing.

Anyway, the legitimacy of the above table is open to question.

But now Liu Bei is the founding king of the Han Dynasty, and every edict he issued has sanctity in the Han Dynasty.

Therefore, taking precautions before they happen, Zhuge Liang would not agree with the ambitious Sun Quan and become the first great Sima of the Han Dynasty.

After listening to Zhuge Liang's suggestion, Liu Bei nodded, and he said, "The prime minister is right."

Liu Bei's words were tantamount to rejecting Yang Hong's proposal.

After vetoing Yang Hong's proposal, Liu Bei looked at Zhuge Liang, and he asked Zhuge Liang, "What suggestion does the Prime Minister have?"

Before Zhuge Liang served as Premier Liu Bei's government affairs, his original identity was Liu Bei's chief adviser.

Only later, with the gradual expansion of Liu Bei's power, and more and more advisers joining Liu Bei's power, Zhuge Liang's duties gradually changed to the direction of the chief steward.

But this does not mean that Zhuge Liang can only handle government affairs, he knows almost everything.

Facing Liu Bei's question, Zhuge Liang bowed to Liu Bei and said confidently:
"There were two ancestors in the Han Dynasty. It has been more than [-] years since the dynasty, and the name of the Great Han has long been famous all over the world.

Now Your Majesty is practicing Zuo in the southwest, uniting the heaven and the earth at the top, and responding to the hearts of the people at the bottom.

Sun Quan is a man of great talent, and he also ruled Jiangdong separately. Although the first battle of the Public Security Bureau severely damaged his vitality, his strength should not be underestimated.

Therefore, Sun Quan was the Hussar General of the Han Dynasty, Hou Er of Nanchang.

If Your Majesty wants to confer rewards on Sun Quan, he can give his general the title Taiwei, and Taiwei is the head of the three lords, which is enough to show his status.

As for Juelu, he cannot be named a king.Husband and Duke's throne goes to the first rank of the emperor, and his etiquette and rank are in chaos.

If he is a lord, the scholars and people in the south of the Yangtze River will not have the righteousness of a monarch and a minister.If Your Majesty over-respects his title for the sake of awarding rewards, and appoints his monarchs and ministers, it will be like a tiger with wings.

Therefore, Your Majesty can follow the old example of Gao Zu and ennoble Sun Quan as Marquis of Jiujiang, enjoying the food of tens of thousands of households, that's enough! "

After listening to Liu Bei's suggestion, a smile appeared on Liu Bei's face.

Zhuge Liang's two suggestions perfectly solved his doubts.

In the political tradition of the Han Dynasty, there is a very important standard, that is, there must be stories to rely on.

What does this mean?

That is, whether it is the emperor or the ministers doing things, they must find examples from history to provide a theoretical basis for what he does.

Although the position of Sangong is very respected, if Sun Quan's personal reputation among scholars is only considered, it is definitely not enough for Sangong.

But his strength is enough.

In the history of the Han Dynasty, there are many stories about ministers leading troops in the name of Sangong.

As long as Sun Quan is enfeoffed as Taiwei, then in name, Sun Quan is just like those generals in history who conquered the Quartet with the honor of the Three Dukes as the Son of Heaven.

Once such an impression is formed, not only will Sun Quan's identity as a Han official in the hearts of the world not change, but it will also strengthen the sense of belonging of the subjects in Jiangdong to the Han Dynasty.

And the position of Taiwei must be above Hussar General, so worshiping Sun Quan as Taiwei is of course a great reward for him.

Although the Taiwei has a high status, his position is only empty.

Therefore, it is very suitable for canonization to a powerful and ambitious prince like Sun Quan.

As for the title reward for Sun Quan, it was just right.

Although since the Eastern Han Dynasty, even the fiefs of county lords have been no more than one county in most cases.

However, in the Western Han Dynasty, there could be tens of thousands of households in the fiefs of county marquises, covering several counties in a row.

At the beginning, although Liu Bang strictly ordered ministers with different surnames not to be crowned kings, he had no restrictions on marquises. As long as the emperor liked it, he could be crowned whatever he wanted.

No matter how many towns the Marquis has, he cannot participate in the governance of the territory he belongs to, so he cannot form control over the subjects in the territory he belongs to in name.

However, there were not many Nanchang marquis food cities in Sun Quan, so Liu Bei added tens of thousands of food cities to Sun Quan, which is of course a great reward.

Most importantly, Zhuge Liang suggested that Liu Bei give Sun Quan the title of Marquis of Jiujiang.

Jiujiang is the old name of Huainan, but now Huainan is in the hands of Cao Wei.

Therefore, if Sun Quan wanted to really get the tens of thousands of households in Jiujiang, he could only smash Hefei and beat Huainan.

In this way, as long as Sun Quan accepts Liu Bei's reward for him, his next military action will be a fierce attack on Huainan, both emotionally and rationally.

That's his food town.

Zhuge Liang's suggestion of rewarding Sun Quan can not only be just right, reflecting Liu Bei's orthodoxy, but also achieve the effect of making Sun Quan continue to attack Hefei, sharing part of Cao Wei's troops, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone.

Liu Bei looked at Zhuge Liang with admiration.

Kong Ming is still the same Kong Ming, as long as he has doubts, it is always right to ask him.

The ministers present were also amazed by Zhuge Liang's proposal.

A matter that was originally thought to be quite difficult, was resolved lightly under Zhuge Liang's few words.

But Huang Quan, the waiter present here, had a doubt, and he asked Zhuge Liang:
"But what if Sun Quan does not accept His Majesty's reward?"

Huang Quan's question made everyone react immediately.

Yes, what I just said is the benefits of Sun Quan accepting Liu Bei's reward, but what if Sun Quan does not accept Liu Bei's reward?

Facing Huang Quan's question, Zhuge Liang revealed a smile and said:
"After the First World War of the Public Security Bureau, all the people in Jiangdong were afraid of being champions, and Cao Ren's head was available."

When Zhuge Liang said these words, all the people present showed smiles on their faces.

No more doubts.

All the ministers present bowed to Zhuge Liang and said, "The prime minister has a high opinion."

Listening to the praise of Zhuge Liang from the ministers, Liu Bei smiled in his heart and said:
Can you not comment, he is a crouching dragon!

(End of this chapter)