Shuhan

Liu Chan sat upright in the main seat, and Huang Hao brought him tea.

A palace maid wanted to wipe the sweat off Liu Chan's forehead, but Liu Chan snatched the silk and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

After a moment, Liu Chan said, "Prime Minister, Shangshu Ling, what do you mean?"

There are two possibilities for why Zhang Fei said this.

The first possibility is that what he just said was really unintentional and he was worried about the country.

The second possibility is that Zhang Fei was used by someone, and someone in the court saw the purpose of this reward and therefore made Zhang Fei a pawn.

If it is the first possibility, then of course there is nothing wrong.

But if it is the second possibility.

Then Liu Gongsi will have to deal with the other party seriously.

Of course, the first step is to find the opponent.

How can we deal with this opponent if we don’t even know him?

Liu Chan had been emperor for several years and had become quite proficient in the art of ruling.

"His Majesty."

Prime Minister Zhuge Liang was named by Liu Chan, and he immediately stepped forward, bowed to Liu Chan, and said: "Among the rewards this time, there are people who are given the title of marquis. In my opinion, the reward may be acceptable, but the matter of the title of marquis should be considered carefully."

When Zhang Fei heard that Zhuge Liang was also standing on his side, his voice became even louder.

"The Prime Minister is right. If you want to reward someone, you can give him some money. Li Guang was such a hero back then, but he was never given a title of nobility. Now in the Academy of Sciences, if you invent something, you can be given a title of nobility. Who will go to war in the future? Who will want to make achievements? I hope Your Majesty will accept this!"

How precious is the title of nobility?

Wasn't it precious before the Han Dynasty?
The marquises in the Han Dynasty were the same as those in the Qin Dynasty. They were divided into Guannei Hou and Lie Hou, ranked at the nineteenth and twentieth levels respectively. The highest level was the Guannei Hou. The fief of Lie Hou was generally less than a thousand households, while that of Lie Hou was much higher. If the emperor was pleased, he might confer the fief of ten thousand households or even higher. Moreover, some Lie Hou titles could be passed down to descendants.

There are quite a lot of names for marquises, and generally they are named according to the location of their fiefs. For example, Guan Yu's title of Marquis of Han Shou Ting means that the fief within the pavilion under the jurisdiction of Han Shou belongs to Guan Yu, and Zhang Liang, Marquis of Liu, means that the fief of Liudi (Pei County) belongs to Zhang Liang.

The size of a marquis can be determined by the title of the marquis. County marquis, township marquis, and pavilion marquis are arranged in that order. Therefore, Zhuge Liang, the Marquis of Wuxiang, has a larger title than Guan Yu, the Marquis of Hanshou Ting, and has more fiefs. However, the fiefs of many marquises are fictitious, especially during the Three Kingdoms period when wars were frequent and the fiefs were not necessarily in their own country. They just had the title of marquis.

Emperor Wu of Han conferred the title of Marquis of Guanjun on Huo Qubing because he was the bravest among the three armies, and designated a piece of land in Luyang Township and Wan County as Huo Qubing's fiefdom. Based on the size of the fiefdom, we know that Huo Qubing's title of Marquis of Guanjun should be more impressive than that of Marquis of Township.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, it was difficult to be granted a title of nobility.

The Han Dynasty stipulated that those who killed or captured the enemy commander would be granted the title of nobility; and those generals or soldiers who broke through the enemy's formation would be granted the title of nobility.

Another way is to be born into a good family.

Anyone who obtains the title of "En Ze Hou" by blood relationship or the leader of a small country who surrenders can be granted the title of marquis.

of course.

The decline of the status of marquis did not begin with Emperor Wu of Han. In fact, it began during the time of Emperor Gaozu of Han.

In the past, a marquis was the ruler of a country. For example, in the State of Han, one of the Seven Kingdoms in the Warring States Period, the monarch was the Marquis of Han.

When Liu Bang founded the country, he conferred titles on more than a hundred marquises at one go, and suddenly the number of marquises increased dramatically.

The title of marquis could be hereditary, and the son of a marquis could be granted another title by grace, thus gaining another marquisate. As a result, the title of marquisate gradually became worthless.

When the title of marquis became cheap, the subsequent emperors simply let themselves go and began to confer titles indiscriminately.

For example, during the reigns of Emperors Wen, Jing and Wu, there were records of granting titles dozens of times. Sometimes the emperor would confer a large number of titles on his birthday, and the court also allowed the private trading of titles below the rank of Five Great Officials.

As a result, all titles became worthless.

Especially after the vested interests came up with the "eight levels of civilian nobility system", the court only guaranteed the privileges of the marquises and marquises within the Guannei area, while the "eight levels of civilian nobility" related to the interests of the general public became empty titles.

In other words, the account is only blocked, and there are no rights at all.

There are no rights at all. How can ordinary people be interested in this system that is only in name?
By the middle of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the rules changed again. The court stipulated that those who had made military achievements would only be promoted to military ranks, but would no longer be granted titles, except for being granted the titles of Marquis or Marquis of Guannei.

The imperial court decoupled military merit from titles, making the system even more of a mere formality.

So in the 20th year of Jian'an, Cao Cao simply abolished the military merit system.

After that, those who made military achievements again would only be promoted but not awarded any titles, except for being granted the titles of Guannei Hou and Lie Hou.

The Qin Dynasty's military merit system was paired with a complete system of farming and warfare. Each level of title had corresponding land, servants, travel methods, etiquette and other benefits, and the levels were clearly defined.

The Han Dynasty was different from the Qin Dynasty in terms of awarding titles.

The Han Dynasty abolished the real rewards such as land and houses that were linked to the titles of nobility, and also conferred them indiscriminately, making the titles meaningless and turning them into empty titles.

Those who made contributions to the invention were granted the title of marquis by Liu Chan without any fiefdom. In fact, it was just an empty title.

And he didn't seal too many.

Only two marquises were conferred.

Just didn't expect it.

The resistance in the court is so great.

Liu Chan couldn't help but frown.

Prime Minister Zhuge Liang's answer did not satisfy Liu Chan, so he quickly turned his attention to the Shangshu Ling Fa Zheng.

"What do you think the minister ordered?"

Fa Zheng clearly felt that Liu Chan was already somewhat unhappy.

But if a minister answers questions according to the king's preferences, he is not a wise and good minister, but a flatterer.

Fa Zheng's eyes were sharp, and he said immediately: "Your Majesty, those who have made contributions should be rewarded, but how can the invention of a few instruments by the Academy of Sciences be compared with the merits of conquering the battlefield and restoring the Han Dynasty? If Your Majesty really does this, those who have been awarded the title of marquis for their military merits will be resentful when they see that the title of marquis is so unbearable. I hope Your Majesty will understand this."

Are you feeling resentful?
Liu Chan pondered for a moment and asked, "How should we proceed according to your advice?"

It would have been fine if Zhang Fei disagreed, but Zhuge Liang and Fa Zheng actually disagreed too?
This is something Liu Chan cannot afford to ignore.

Zhuge Liang immediately stood up and said, "Rewards are fine, and titles can also be awarded, but the rewards invented by the Academy of Sciences may use another set of civil titles instead of military titles."

Wen Jue?

"What kind of Wenjue?"

"Those who have made contributions will be given the title of Bachelor, and those who have made great contributions will be given the title of Grand Secretary."

Bachelor and Grand Secretary?

Liu Chan continued to ask: "What is the relative rank between the Bachelor and the Grand Secretary?"

"Grand Scholar is equivalent to Guannei Hou, while Bachelor is below Marquis."

"The Prime Minister's advice is very good."

Liu Chan nodded in agreement.

"I want to establish Wenhua Palace, Baigong Palace, and Wuying Palace, each with a university scholar.

Those who have made contributions in the Academy of Sciences will be admitted to the Hall of Hundred Craftsmen, become Grand Secretary of the Hall of Hundred Craftsmen, and be granted the title of Guannei Hou.

Those civil officials who have made contributions can enter the Wenhua Palace, become the Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Palace, and be granted the title of Guannei Hou.

Those who have made meritorious military achievements can enter the Wuying Palace, become the Grand Secretary of the Wuying Palace, and be granted the title of Guannei Hou.

Liu Chan paused and continued, "Each palace is located in the imperial city. Painters are hired to draw portraits and display them in the palace for future generations to admire. A hundred years later, they can enjoy incense."

What Liu Chan did was similar to the Twenty-Eight Generals of Yuntai and the Twenty-Four Heroes of Lingyan Pavilion of Li Shimin.

If you can enter it, you will be remembered in the history of the Han Dynasty. This is a big cake. Whether it is Zhang Fei, Zhuge Liang or Fa Zheng, after listening to what Liu Chan said, their breathing unconsciously became rapid.

In life, besides pursuing wealth and fame, people pursue fame after death even more.

For everyone in the dragon tent, wealth and honor had already been theirs.

Their reputation after death is what they care about.

For Zhang Fei, entering the Wuying Hall will be a place for future generations to learn from and worship. Even if he dies in the future, he will not be considered dead. On a spiritual level, he is still alive.

People all over the world know his name, Zhang Fei.

When he arrived in the underworld, he met the Lord of Mount Tai. His incense was so strong, so why shouldn't he be given a temple to be the King of Hell?
In the court, everything is an exchange of interests.

Liu Chan threw down a piece of fat meat, and it depended on whether everyone would cooperate.

"Your Majesty, the Wenhua Hall and Wuying Hall are indeed worthy of being established, but is it inappropriate for the Baigong Hall to be listed alongside them?"

Zhang Fei's words have softened a lot.

"The Hundred Craftsmen Hall can grant him the title of Grand Secretary, but he cannot be awarded the title of Marquis."

Liu Chan shook his head and suddenly asked, "Do you know Liuli?"

Glass?

Zhang Fei immediately said, "I know about colored glaze. I have several beautiful colored glaze objects in my house."

Liu Chan continued to ask: "General, do you know how much this glass object is worth?"

Zhang Fei nodded and said, "Ordinary colored glass objects are only worth tens of thousands of coins nowadays, but the exquisitely crafted coral colored glass objects like those in my mansion are worth hundreds of thousands of coins."

"Then, General, do you know how many pieces of colored glaze have been sold and how much money has been earned since the Academy of Sciences invented it?"

Liu Chan's question immediately made everyone in the dragon tent silent, and they were all speechless.

"Maybe, there's ten million dollars."

Tens of millions of dollars?
Liu Chan shook his head and said, "The annual tribute is tens of thousands of coins."

Millions of dollars?
Zhang Fei was dumbfounded.

"There are actually so many?"

Liu Chan nodded.

"The cost of making colored glaze is low, but selling it can bring in a profit of a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand times. Just from colored glaze, the Han Dynasty has plundered countless amounts of money from the world every year. That's why we have money to reward meritorious officials, to dredge water conservancy projects, and to resettle refugees. Does the general think that this money is really printed?"

The money you print has to be spent. It is only valuable after others recognize it.

If you can print money infinitely and generate endless wealth, then why bother farming?
Just build a few more mints.

Worth a hundred bucks?
Do not!
Worth a ton of money!
Worth billions of dollars!
But what’s the use of making these things if no one recognizes them?

In the end it will only cause inflation and become a piece of waste paper.

Even cheaper than the price of paper, like the Zimbabwe dollar.

"Glass objects are one, and beautiful porcelain is another."

When Liu Chan saw that no one in the dragon tent was speaking, he immediately stood up and unconsciously raised his voice a little.

"Let's not talk about the annual trade of fine porcelain. For example, when merchants from the Western Regions come to Chang'an, what they want most, besides silk, is porcelain. Our Han Dynasty can exchange one piece of porcelain for gold, BMWs, and various spices. This fine porcelain is also sold to Wei, Wu, and local chiefs. How much money can we earn? And with this money and silk, we can greatly enhance the national strength of our Han Dynasty."

In the dragon tent, the more silent everyone was, the louder Liu Chan's voice seemed.

"You said that it was very difficult for soldiers to get a title by killing enemies on the battlefield, but if there were no glass objects and beautiful porcelain, which made a huge fortune for the Han Dynasty, how could the soldiers get their pay and food? Killing enemies on the battlefield is meritorious, but does it mean that there is no merit in building the rear?"

Liu Chan asked two questions in succession, which was deafening.

"If inventing and creating beautiful porcelain and glass objects is considered a rare skill, then I hope there will be more of these rare skills. More of them will make my Han country stronger, and the stronger the Han country is, the closer it will be to my father's long-cherished wish to restore the Han Dynasty."

Liu Chan walked down slowly and held Zhang Fei's hand tightly.

"General, you followed my father when he was still a nobody. You worked hard and survived many dangers to build the Han Dynasty. Now is a time of great strife. If there is a way to strengthen the country, if there is a way to quickly fulfill the late emperor's wish to restore the Han Dynasty, why don't we do it and use it?"

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a black cat or a white cat, as long as it can catch mice, it’s a good cat.”

Liu Chan turned to Zhuge Liang and said with deep emotion: "The Hall of Hundred Craftsmen is not for those with extraordinary skills and cunning tricks. He can help me restore the Han Dynasty, so why can't I reward him with a noble title?"

After saying so much, Liu Chan looked around at everyone in the tent and asked, "What do you think?"

There is some truth in Liu Chan's words.

The officials and generals were unwilling to associate with the craftsmen.

But what Liu Chan did this time was to improve the status of craftsmen.

In fact, this craftsman is not a craftsman in the ordinary sense, but a talent capable of scientific research.

If you want the horse to run, you naturally have to let it eat grass.

Now in order to make the horse run fast, in addition to letting it eat grass, it also needs to be fed some beans.

You can call it a trick or you can say they are unworthy.

But if Liu Chan wants to develop the technology tree in this era, he must make use of these people and lead a trend.

If you can invent something that is beneficial to the country, you will be rewarded and gain benefits. If the effect is huge, why not be granted a title of nobility?

Liu Chan was not very satisfied with the progress of gunpowder research and development.

Up to now, there has been no decent firearm, just crude ones using black powder.

The power is very limited, but the sound is loud, so it can be said that it is only good-looking but not practical.

Research and development progress is slow.

Qingxuzi didn't know how many times he had scolded Liu Chan.

But criticizing won't increase motivation.

Under the reward, there must be a brave man.

Once scientific research becomes a trend in this era, and people all over the world feel that doing this is promising and dignified, they will naturally flock to it.

Things at the Academy of Sciences were finally getting back on track.

For example, the subsequent research and development of gunpowder will only be accelerated if people work hard on it.

As for dealing with the aristocratic families.

When it comes to the study of classics and historical records, Liu Chan really could not dig up the roots of his aristocratic family.

But I can't surpass you on this track, so if I change to another track, can't I defeat you?
Strange and tricky skills are precisely what the lower-class people can access, but the aristocratic families disdain to come into contact with.

A group of low-level people can be promoted from the Hall of Hundred Craftsmen.

These people are the ones that Liu Chan can use to compete with the aristocratic families.

And things like appointing a Grand Secretary to the Hall of Hundred Craftsmen and opening local schools to enlighten the common people and the poor were just one or two of Liu Chan's many tricks to deal with the aristocratic families.

In this era, if you want to go against the trend, you have to do things that ordinary people cannot do and dare not do.

While you still have prestige and while you are still young.

I will complete the work of future generations with my generation! (End of this chapter)