Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 742 A Model of the Generation

The first month of the seventh year of Jianxing in 231 AD.

Because of the completion of Daxing Palace, Liu Chan and Zhuge Liang set out from Yecheng to the new capital. The officials, concubines and families of high-ranking officials who stayed behind in Wuhan will be moved to the new capital Chang'an one after another.

In order to make it easier for high-ranking officials in the south to settle their families, Zhuge Liang thoughtfully issued an edict to grant land and houses around Xindu to the ministers.

The sounds of stringed instruments in the Daxing Palace were one after another, lively and endless.

Liu Chan sat upright on the couch, and Empress Da Zhang attended in her best attire and sat beside him. The princes Liu Pu, Liu Xi, Liu Xie, Liu Rui, Liu Zhi and the foreign envoys sat in the East Hall, while the West Hall was headed by Huo Jun, Zhuge Liang, Zhao Yun, Wen Pin and other civil and military officials, who sat in order of their official rank.

This was probably the first time that Liu Rui served as a minister. Sitting next to Liu Xie, he felt restless and quite uncomfortable.

Liu Xie, on the other hand, was used to it, so he was able to relax and drink alone, chatting with Liu Xi from time to time.

Seeing that Liu Rui looked uneasy, Liu Chan winked at Huo Yi.

Huo Yi clapped his hands and ordered, "Change the song and dance!"

"promise!"

The soldiers dancing the Bayu dance withdrew from the hall and were quickly replaced by a group of graceful singing girls, who waved their gauze sleeves and danced gracefully to the sound of stringed instruments and drums.

When the familiar bell music sounded and the familiar singer began to dance, Liu Rui could not help but close his eyes uncomfortably, but worried that the Han people were testing him, Liu Rui suppressed his sadness, opened his eyes and watched the singing and dancing.

Liu Chan took a sip of wine and asked, "What do you think, Lord Linjin?"

Liu Xie showed appreciation and said, "Your Majesty, I am unfortunate to be a king in troubled times, but fortunate to be a minister in peaceful times. I am very happy to see the revival of the Han Dynasty and to enjoy the Chinese dance!"

"Where is Lord Meiyang?"

Liu Rui looked at the familiar singer and said humiliatingly, "This dance is beautiful. Thank you, Your Majesty, for the banquet."

"Ha ha!"

Liu Chan laughed a few times and said, "Now that Ankang is peaceful and there are singing and dancing to watch, do you miss home?"

Liu Rui lowered his eyes and said, "There is peace and prosperity with singing and dancing, and no paperwork to worry about. I am so happy that I don't miss home!"

"It's great to be happy and not feel homesick!"

Liu Chan stood up from the couch, signaled the singing and dancing to stop, looked at the civil and military officials in the West Hall, and said: "The Prime Minister conquered Yecheng and obtained dozens of beauties from the Wei court. You have made great contributions to assisting the Han Dynasty and can take them into your family."

Hearing this, Liu Rui's heart was torn. These singing girls were all his favorite concubines, and they were all of top-notch beauty. Now that Liu Chan had destroyed Cao Wei, except for leaving two wives and concubines for Liu Rui, the rest of the concubines became spoils of war.

In order to test Liu Rui's cunningness, Liu Chan specially organized these concubines into a singing and dancing troupe, preparing to reward them to meritorious officials and generals.

If you ask why Liu Chan did not accept her with pleasure, the main reason is that since Liu Chan came to rule the Central Plains, he had already married the daughters of Yang Huiyu from the Yang family of Taishan and Lu Yu from the Lu family of Fanyang.

As soon as these words were spoken, Liu Rui closed his eyes in pain and sighed deeply. If there were any lustful men in the palace, they would become restless and carefully look at the concubines with outstanding looks in the singing and dancing.

Liu Chan looked at Huo Jun, the chief, and asked, "The position of prime minister is important, so you can choose first!"

As he spoke, Liu Chan joked, "If the Prime Minister likes them, you can take them all into the palace."

Huo Jun only looked at them for a few times, then said with a folded hand: "I have not made any contribution in this campaign against Wei. The first person to make the contribution should be Prime Minister Ge. Please let Prime Minister Ge make the selection."

Zhuge Liang declined and said, "Your Majesty, I have no intention of taking a concubine. The prime minister and you can share it."

"Your Majesty, I will let you divide it!" Huo Jun said.

Seeing that Huo Jun was unwilling to accept it, Liu Chan did not force him, but only looked at Zhuge Liang a few more times. Thinking of the widely circulated rumors, Liu Chan couldn't help but laugh in his heart.

"good!"

Liu Chan waved his hand and ordered, "All the generals should come forward and select people according to their ranks, but only one person is allowed."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

With Liu Chan's order, Wen Pin was the first to choose a plump concubine, and the rest of the generals chose their own women until all the singing girls were chosen by the civil and military officials. Those officials who did not get concubines could only show envy.

Seeing everyone thanking him one by one, Liu Chan could hardly hide the joy on his face and said, "At the end of the Central Han Dynasty, the former emperor traveled to the Central Plains and went south to King Lu of Jingchu. Fortunately, he made his fortune in the rivers and lakes and met the assistance of you gentlemen to establish the foundation of the Southern Kingdom."

"The previous emperor passed away midway, and I am still young. The country is in danger and there are powerful enemies outside. Fortunately, you have been loyal to the country and have been able to unify the world, subdue the barbarians, and revive the Han Dynasty. I am not virtuous and talented, but I am able to achieve today's prosperity. I am very grateful to you."

As he spoke, Liu Chan raised his cup to toast everyone, saying: "This cup of wine is to honor you for your assistance. Although the world is peaceful today, there is still a lot of work to be done and the population is declining. I hope you will not forget your old intentions and make the Han Dynasty prosperous."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for working hard for the prosperity of the Han Dynasty!"

Everyone stood up and toasted Liu Chan to thank him.

After drinking a bottle of wine, Liu Chan walked down the stairs holding the bottle, and came to Huo Jun's desk, toasted and said: "In the past, the late emperor first raised my army in Xiakou, conquered the east and the west, defeated the villains, established the capital in the south of the Yangtze River, and was famous in Jingchu. Zhongfu was a pillar that supported the sky, and other generals could not match him."

"I succeeded to the throne at a young age. My father followed the ways of Yi and Zhou, assisted the Han Dynasty, served as a general and a prime minister, and conquered China in the north. He was aggressive but not cruel, and showed his power by not killing people. He decided important events with a single word and unified the world with a single battle. He is the first meritorious minister of the founding of the country."

Liu Chan offered a toast as a nephew, saying, "I offer this cup to you, my father, to thank you for your support and contribution to rebuilding the Han Dynasty." Huo Jun returned the toast and said, "Your Majesty, the gift is very important. I have made great contributions and I dare not accept it lightly."

"You've worked hard!"

Liu Chan returned the greeting, then walked to Zhuge Liang's desk, bowed respectfully, and said, "The late emperor rose from the Jianghu, holding a three-foot sword, leading thousands of people, and met my father-in-law who saved the lord and planned to cross the Yangtze River together to rule Wu and Chu. Over the years, you have raised tens of thousands of soldiers, and when foreign generals went to war, you stayed in the country, transported grain and supplies, and never lacked equipment. This is all thanks to Xiao He."

"When I succeeded to the throne, you assisted me in governing the southern border, exerted great influence on Bashu, and brought harmony between officials and civilians, so that the upper and lower classes lived in peace. You led troops to the northern expedition, made many meritorious deeds, crossed the river and destroyed Wei, and became a general and a prime minister. Xiao He could not do as well as you."

"I offer you a special toast to thank you for your father's kindness in assisting the Han Dynasty. Today, the world is at peace, but many things need to be rebuilt. We should rely on you to govern the country and assist in the administration. The monarch and his subjects will be one and work together to make the Han Dynasty prosperous."

"I will do my utmost to repay your majesty's kindness!" Zhuge Liang replied.

After toasting Huo Jun and Zhuge Liang, Liu Chan returned to the steps and toasted the third bottle of wine to the rest of the people to express his gratitude to everyone.

Liu Rui looked at Liu Chan on the steps, with a hint of resentment in his eyes. In his eyes, if it were not for Huo Jun's assistance, Liu Chan would not have been able to destroy Wei.

Liu Chan's life is so good, it's really hateful!
Liu Rui could only drink alone, hoping to numb himself with alcohol.

As the toasts ended, the banquet gradually came to an end, and Liu Chan took the opportunity to reward those who had participated in the Northern Expedition.

Zhuge Liang led a northern expedition to destroy Wei, pacify Hebei, and his fiefdom reached tens of thousands of households.

Lu Xun was instrumental in pacifying Bingzhou and was granted a fief of ten thousand households.

Both Wen Pin and Zhao Yun were promoted from county marquis to county duke. Wen Pin was granted the title of Anzhong County Duke and Zhao Yun the title of Lingshou County Duke, and their fiefs were different.

Pang Tong, Huo Du, Huo Fan, Jiang Ji, Cheng Ji and others were rewarded with official titles according to their military achievements.

Those who were unable to come to the palace to receive orders were delivered by envoys with imperial edicts; if there were those who attended the banquet, they had to kowtow and thank the Han for his grace on the spot.

At dusk, the Southern Han emperor and his ministers ended the banquet amid laughter and joy.

After the banquet, Huo Jun stayed in the hall because he had important matters to report.

"What advice do you have, Master?"

Liu Chan invited Huo Jun to the side hall to talk and asked.

Huo Jun took out a memorial from his bosom and said, "I have been in the military for half my life, and my energy is declining. I also have a foot disease and cannot walk. I would like to rest at home and study. I hope Your Majesty will approve it."

Liu Chan did not receive the memorial and said in surprise, "Zhongfu has already resigned from the post of Recorder of the Secretariat, why are you now staying at home to recuperate?"

Huo Jun hesitated for a moment and said, "I have a foot disease now, so I am afraid it will be difficult for me to attend the court or the Secretariat."

Liu Chan observed Huo Jun's expression and saw that he had no intention of testing him, so he said, "Since Zhongfu entrusted me with the care of my son, it has been as easy as taking something out of a bag to take the throne. However, my father has the virtues of Yi and Zhou, and he is in a high position but knows the big picture. I and the other emperors are not very grateful for your kindness."

Liu Chan said with a sincere look, "In order to fulfill Zhongfu's noble aspiration, I grant you the Nine Gifts and allow you to return home to recuperate due to your foot disease. But if your foot disease is cured, I hope you can take charge of government affairs. I am very grateful for your kindness!"

Hearing that Liu Chan had bestowed the Nine Gifts upon him, Huo Jun frowned slightly and said, "The Nine Gifts cannot be accepted lightly. Your Majesty, I understand your kindness!"

"I am a person of little virtue and talent. Without Zhongfu, how can I rule the world?"

Liu Chan poured a cup of tea for Huo Jun and said with a smile: "Looking at Zhongfu's achievements, he was assisted by the Han Dynasty, but he actually created the country. However, Zhongfu is very knowledgeable about the general situation, so I want to make you a role model for the generation, so that future rulers and ministers will admire Zhongfu."

Liu Chan smiled and said, "If Zhongfu wants to establish a foundation, let alone the nine gifts, ten gifts are also acceptable. I have no way to repay Zhongfu's contribution to my country, but I can only treat him with the honor of a minister."

The doubts between the monarch and his subjects were not natural, but rather a result of the inability of both parties to communicate frankly, which led to an information gap. Liu Chan hoped to have a sincere exchange with Huo Jun so that Huo Jun could understand his inner thoughts.

Huo Jun was very touched. It was rare to find a monarch as broad-minded and self-aware as Liu Chan. If Huo Jun and the Han Dynasty had met a narrow-minded monarch, they would probably not have come this far.

After a short silence, Huo Jun cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty is a wise ruler. If the late emperor were still alive, he would be pleased."

Liu Chan gradually became curious and asked, "Father Zhong is now retreating to recuperate. What are your plans?"

Huo Jun sighed slightly and said, "The world is in chaos and education is not going well. If it is feasible, I want to build an academy, teach mathematics, spread classics, and do my best for the world."

Huo Jun was unable to develop natural sciences such as physics and chemistry for Southern Han. He might as well do the next best thing and work hard to develop mathematics and systematize it as much as possible to see if he can leave a small legacy for future generations.

Liu Chan did not expect Huo Jun to have the desire to spread classics. He was stunned for a moment and then said, "Father Zhong has never forgotten to study military books while in the army, and has never forgotten to study classics when he returns home. I deeply admire him. If you need anything in the future, you can go to the Imperial College."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Huo Jun stood up and said goodbye.

Liu Chan stood up and greeted him respectfully, saying jokingly, "The imperial couch is spacious, Zhongfu, please sit on it!"

Huo Jun glanced at the imperial couch, shook his head and said, "Although the imperial couch is spacious, if you sit on it, you will feel a heavy weight. Your Majesty, please remember that the emperor is a boat and the common people are water. Water can carry the boat, but it can also overturn it."

"promise!"

Liu Chan replied with a solemn expression.

ps: I’m stuck in a writer’s block today, so I’ll only update once for now, and will make up for it with three updates tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)