My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 297 The arrangements of the previous emperor and the kings

Since the Empress Dowager summoned him, Liu Rong naturally dared not refuse.

Having roughly figured out the old empress dowager's plan, Liu Rong did not say much and spoke vaguely, thus temporarily fooling her.

After the second brother Liu De, the third brother Liu Yu, the fourth brother Liu Yu, and the fifth brother Liu Fei, the other brothers also arrived in Chang'an in order.

——The sixth brother, Liu Fa, King of Changsha, was the last to arrive because the journey was too long.

The seventh brother, Liu Pengzu, King of Changshan, and the ninth brother, Liu Sheng, King of Zhongshan, arrived together.

The eighth prince, Liu Duan, the King of Jiaoxi, and the tenth prince, Liu Zhi, the King of Jiaodong, also arrived in Chang'an at the same time.

As for the younger ones, namely the little Wang beauties, the eleventh and twelfth born to Wang Maosu, they were still raised in Chang'an because they were too young.

After Emperor Xiaojing passed away, it was inconvenient for Concubine Xiao Wang to stay in the palace, so she was sent to Gui Palace by Liu Rong to keep the late Queen Bo company.

This time, the kings returned to the court. In addition to the symbolic "mourning for their fathers" and the first audience with Liu Rong, the most important event was the issue of enthroning as kings.

For example, Liu Rong's brothers from the same mother, King Hejian Liu De and King Linjiang Liu Yu, one of them should be transferred to the title of King of Zhao, and the other should be transferred to a larger vassal state.

This is why, when his two younger brothers left Beijing to become fiefs, Liu Rong specifically reminded them: Don’t rush to build the palace too well; it will be enough to just live in it for two years.

Although they didn't say it explicitly, the two of them had already done it on time: they would have to move their fiefdoms sooner or later anyway, so there was no need to build a magnificent palace and end up making wedding dresses for others.

Now is the time to transfer these two kings.

As for the fourth brother, Liu Yu, King of Lu, and the sixth brother, Liu Fa, King of Changsha, they had brought political figures to their country since the beginning of their titles.

——Liu Yu went to Lu in order to suppress the increasingly rampant local public opinion of "ruling the country with Confucianism" and the Lu Confucianists who initiated this public opinion.

Liu Yu has done a good job over the past few years.

At least it's qualified.

Therefore, this time when Liu Rong came to the court, he mainly came to inspect the cultural guidance work that Liu Yu had carried out in Lu in the past few years and provide guidance.

As for King Liu Fa of Changsha, he was responsible for the strategic task of guarding the southern border of the Han Dynasty and the land of Baiyue in Lingnan.

The military strategic pressure in the south of the Han Dynasty was different from that in the north - to be more precise, the south of the Han Dynasty, that is, the Baiyue in Lingnan, was more like a political issue rather than a military issue.

Outside the northern wall were purely external nomadic peoples, while in the southern Lingnan, there was Zhao Tuo of Nanyue, which had long been incorporated into the Chinese civilization but accidentally split off during the chaotic times at the end of the Qin Dynasty.

If the Han Dynasty did not have the strategic defense pressure from the north, and only had a major concern in the south, there would be no need to discuss whether Lingnan needed to be unified by force - the moment it became the only strategic enemy of the Han Dynasty, the old turtle Zhao Tuo would quickly decide to submit!
If you are willing to lose face, you can become a Han Dynasty Marquis of Cheng'en or King of Guiyi, and spend your remaining years in Chang'an.
If they couldn't leave, they could only go to Changsha, Jing and Wu areas adjacent to Lingnan, and return to their hometown with an honorary title.

Therefore, the Han people’s attitude towards Lingnan has always been very clear.

——It’s not worth fighting.

Not only was the cost more than the gain, but realistic conditions also did not allow the Han Dynasty - which was still under the strategic threat of the Xiongnu - to devote its energy to waging war in Lingnan.

Therefore, on the basis of not resorting to force, the Han people are willing to use any means to ensure that Lingnan nominally belongs to the Han people.

As in the past few years, Lingnan was dominated by the Zhao Tuo regime of Nanyue, with Minyue, Dongyue and other countries as auxiliary. They all regarded the Han emperor as the "king", regarded the Han family as the overlord, accepted the Han family's enthronement, and nominal subordinate relationship.

However, in reality, the territory actually controlled by the Han Dynasty was bounded by the Five Ridges in the south.

After crossing the Five Ridges and stepping onto the land of Baiyue, the only people who could still be protected by Han laws and the Liu Han state were the envoys sent from Chang'an.

As a buffer zone between the area north of the Five Ridges, or the land of Baiyue south of the Lingnan Mountains, and the Central Plains of China, Changsha State shouldered heavy political responsibilities.

Considering the interests of the Han Dynasty, the King of Changsha ruled Changsha and was basically fully responsible for monitoring the Baiyue in Lingnan. He must not be too weak.
However, considering that the strategic focus of the Han Dynasty was concentrated in the north and that it could not spare any energy for Lingnan, and with "no use of force" as a prerequisite, the King of Changsha could not be overly tough in dealing with the Baiyue in Lingnan.

On one hand, it is to endure without resorting to violence;

At the same time, we must maintain the self-respect of a suzerain state and the Celestial Empire, and not be too demanding.

How to grasp this degree is obviously a technical job.

Before Emperor Xiaojing, the area of ​​Changsha had always been a headache for the Han family, after Emperor Taizu swore an oath on White Horse that no one other than the Liu family could have a queen. The only legally existing vassal of a different surname, the King of Changsha, Wu, had been in charge.

Wu Rui, the first King of Changsha in the Han Dynasty, was the county magistrate of Fan County under the Qin Dynasty as early as the Qin Dynasty. He was respectfully called "Fan Jun" by the local people and enjoyed a very high reputation.

Coupled with the blood bonus of being a descendant of King Fuchai of Wu, Wu Rui occupies an extremely special position in the hearts of the people of Jing and Wu.

Taking these two points into consideration, after Emperor Taizu Liu Bang ascended the throne and established the Han Dynasty, he immediately conferred the title of King of Changsha on Wu Rui, the former King of Hengshan (conferred by Xiang Yu).

Later, other princes of different surnames either took the initiative to raise troops or rebelled passively, but were defeated one by one by Emperor Taizu Gao. However, the lineage of King Wu Rui of Changsha was able to protect the ancestral temple until the death of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen.

In the seventh year of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen's reign, the fourth King of Changsha, Wu Zhuo, died without an heir, and the State of Changsha was abolished.

The main reason why the Wu family's Changsha Kingdom, which lasted for more than 40 years and was able to be passed down for four generations despite being a vassal state of a different surname, was the blood bonus of Wu Rui's lineage, the descendant of King Fuchai of Wu.

——In the land of Jing and Wu, people did not call Wu Rui and his descendants the King of Changsha. Instead, they followed the ancestral system and called them: Wu Gong Rui.

In the eyes of local people, the ancient Wu Kingdom has not yet perished, and Wu Rui, a descendant of the former King Fuchai, is still leading them as the helmsman of the Wu Kingdom.

On the other side of the Wuling Mountains, the Yue people, who had committed heinous crimes against the Wu people, were led by the remnants of the tyrannical Qin Dynasty, destroying the ravines and roads and establishing their own regime.

This is precisely the political significance of the presence of Wu Rui's lineage in Changsha to the Han family.

The bloodline of Wu Rui can ensure that the people of the Jingwu generation will follow their king from the bottom of their hearts and maintain their hostility towards the Baiyue in Lingnan "since ancient times"!

After the fourth King of Changsha, Wu Zhuo, died without an heir, the Wu Changsha Kingdom officially withdrew from the stage of history. Since then, Changsha Kingdom has become a major headache for the Han Dynasty.

The old Wu family, which had the bonus of bloodline, has no descendants;
Zhao Tuo of Lingnan is still as lively as an old turtle.

Not only is he lively and energetic, he even has the energy to jump up and down!
——In the seventh year of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen’s reign, Emperor Taizong passed away and Emperor Xian Xiaojing ascended the throne;

In September of that year, Lingnan reported secretly: Nanyue King Zhao Tuo secretly restored the imperial system, and he was called the police when he went out and came in, and he used the system to issue documents, and he made the left banner of the yellow house again! In the first year of Emperor Xiaojing, the Xiongnu sent envoys to make peace with the marriage. In the summer of the same year, Nanyue sent envoys to ask the Han Dynasty to marry a royal daughter to Nanyue to stabilize Nanyue!

In the second year of Emperor Xiaojing's reign, the Wu-Chu Rebellion was about to break out. The people of Nanyue were outraged, the army was ready to go, and headed straight for Changsha!
In the third year of Emperor Xiaojing's reign, the Wu-Chu Rebellion broke out, and Zhao Tuo, the King of Nanyue, sent 8,000 troops to help Liu Bi, the King of Wu.
The Prime Minister of Nanyue, Lu Jia, led an army of 15,000 and approached the southern border of Changsha!

In the same year, the Wu-Chu rebellion was quelled, and Prime Minister Lu Jia withdrew his troops from Changsha before he had time to take action. At the same time, Zhao Tuo, the King of Nanyue, submitted a memorial to Chang'an to show his loyalty.

In the fourth year of Emperor Xiaojing's reign, Crown Prince Liu Rong was regent. Nanyue sent envoys to the court, saying that King Zhao Tuo of Nanyue was seriously ill and dying, and requested the return of the Nanyue crown prince Zhao Hu, who was held hostage in Chang'an, to the country to take charge of the overall situation.

In the fifth year of Emperor Xiaojing's reign, Nanyue and Minyue fought against each other. Minyue asked for help from Chang'an. Nanyue wrote in a letter: The affairs of Lingnan cannot be explained in a single memorial. We hope that the superior country will not interfere and allow the people of Baiyue to decide their own affairs.

In the sixth year of Emperor Xiaojing's reign, Emperor Xiaojing passed away, and Crown Prince Liu Rong ascended the throne before he was crowned. A secret report was sent back from Nanyue again: Nanyue King Zhao Tuo made the Emperor's Sword and wore a twelve-sulphur crown, intending to follow the grand plan of Qin Wang Zheng and go north to save the homeland of China...

Almost all of these incidents are about Zhao Tuo, the King of Nanyue. He was born in the seventh year of King Zheng of Qin. He first unified the world as a Qin soldier, and later served as a Qin general and led his army south to conquer the Baiyue in Lingnan. In the war at the end of the Qin Dynasty, he chose to secede and establish his own regime. He never was at peace for even a single day.

There was not even a day when Zhao Tuo wanted to be the King of Nanyue of the Han Dynasty, rather than the Emperor Wu of Nanyue of China...

Zhao Tuo had already been given the title of emperor three times!

As for whether in private, within the royal palace of the Nanyue capital, edicts were still being written and words were being spoken, only the ruler and his subjects of Nanyue knew the answer.

Such an old and stubborn hero cannot be eliminated by force;
This was a hell-level political dungeon for Liu Fa, the King of Changsha, who had no bloodline bonus and was not even an adult yet.

Fortunately, Liu Fa has managed to hold on over the past three years.

Although Zhao Tuo tried to make his presence felt from time to time, he never dared to send troops north to seize Changsha.

Although his empty talk resounded throughout the world, it did not pose any substantial threat to the southern Han Dynasty or the Guangdong and Guangxi regions in later generations.

This time, Liu Rong must praise his sixth brother: Good boy!
Something!

The fourth son, Liu Yu, the Prince of Lu, and the sixth son, Liu Fa, the Prince of Changsha, both brought political figures to their fiefdoms, and both completed their assigned tasks fairly well.

Caught between these two, Liu Fei, the King of Jiangdu, was designated by Liu Rong as the first Mongolian King of the Han Dynasty, or the King of Henan and the King of Hetao.

After Liu Fei moved his fief to Hetao, Liu Rong naturally had to consider the vacant Jiangdu State, whether to directly turn it into a county or to replace him with another person to be the king.

Liu Rong prefers the former;
However, considering that the reality is not yet mature and the Chang'an court has no extra experience in building a "new land" that has just been abolished as a county, Liu Rong will most likely regretfully choose the latter in the end.

Then the selection of this person became a headache for Liu Rong.

Jiangdu is a vast area, and although its resources are not abundant, it is still better than the one county or even half a county that most of Liu Rong's brothers were granted.

Liu Rong needs to think carefully about which brother to give this good place to so as not to make the other brothers unhappy or make trouble.

Further down are the seventh and ninth brothers, who were respectively the King of Changshan and the King of Zhongshan, and who shared the land of a county.

The two brothers, especially the only two sons of their mother, Lady Jia, Emperor Xiaojing, were squeezed into the same county, with a mountain as the boundary and each was a king, which was somewhat unfair.

If this were to be told to others, Liu Rong would not look good.

Therefore, it is highly likely that one of the two brothers will be moved out, and the other will merge the original Changshan and Zhongshan into one as his new territory.

In this way, there is one more 'new king to be crowned', and Liu Rong needs to find a good place to crown him king.

But this piece of land cannot be too small or too poor...

The eighth prince, Liu Duan, the Prince of Jiaoxi, was easier to deal with—after all, he was the youngest son of the late Emperor's wife, Mrs. Cheng.

Of the two elder brothers, one was made the King of Lu, and the other was first the King of Jiangdu, and now they are about to be transferred to Hetao.

Neither of the two older brothers suffered any injustice, so as the younger one, it didn't matter if I suffered a little injustice.

Otherwise, no one can suffer injustice, and every good place will be occupied by the sons of successive emperors as their territory. How can the Chang'an court survive?

But Liu Rong really couldn't ignore Liu Zhi, the young King of Jiaodong.

——As the only son of the late emperor's beauty Wang Zhi, and even one of the youngest among the late emperor's sons, Liu Zhi's fiefdom of Jiaodong was somewhat unfair.

Of course, Liu Rong could just leave his tenth brother alone on the pretext that he "couldn't take care of everyone".

There may be rumors inside and outside the court, but they cannot hurt Liu Rong at all.

But what I am afraid of is that someone will link Liu Zhi's treatment of "small territory and narrow country and unable to transfer his fiefdom" with the struggle for succession between Qilan Palace and Liu Rong during the reign of the previous emperor.

Of course, no one would say that it was natural for Liu Zhi to compete with his elder brother for the throne, and Liu Rong should not be blamed.

But there are always people who would say: After all, he is the younger brother, and competing for the throne was not Liu Zhi's idea, but it was his mother who sought it for her son;

Your Majesty is so narrow-minded, but actually has no tolerance for others - if you cannot even tolerate your brother who is related to you by blood, how can you tolerate foreign ministers like us?

If he cared about this, the opinions of the outer court, and his own image in the outer court, Liu Rong's best choice would be to find a new place for his tenth brother.

It doesn't have to be too good - just a little bigger and richer than Jiaodong, and the climate is not worse than Jiaodong;
The main thing is to express the attitude of "I know that my younger brother is not living well, so I try to move him to a better place." That's enough.

Next are the eleventh and twelfth children who were born during the reign of the late emperor, and the thirteenth child, Liu Cheng, the late emperor’s posthumous son who was born not long ago and was also born to the concubine Wang Erju.

In the original history, Wang Erju gave birth to four sons for Emperor Xiaojing, and all of them were conferred the title of king in the ninth year of Emperor Xiaojing's reign.

But in this timeline, Emperor Xiaojing Liu Qi did not live to see the year when he made his four youngest sons kings;
The young beauty Wang Erju was unable to give birth to four sons for Emperor Xiaojing as in the original historical timeline. Instead, she gave birth to two sons first and then a posthumous son.

Liu Rong also has to consider these three younger brothers.

At the very least, a king who is somewhat decent should be appointed, and the little beauty who still lives in Gui Palace should be sent to be the queen mother.

This means there is one more country that "can't be too bad", plus two new territories that must at least be "countries" regardless of whether they are good or not...

(End of this chapter)