Chapter 223 Liu Biao declares himself emperor and bids farewell to his hometown
Chapter 223 Liu Biao proclaims himself emperor, bids farewell and returns home
In the eleventh year of Jian'an, the world situation had changed drastically. Jiangdong was newly defeated and retreated to Wujun in Danyang to lick its wounds.
Yizhou Zhang Lu and Cai Mao were still entangled, and Liu Zhang was watching the situation.
At this time, Liu Biao's power spread all over the south. Jiaozhou was captured by him, Yangzhou had already obtained Yuzhang, and Yizhou had obtained most of Bajun.
Many prominent families in Jiangdong and Yizhou wrote letters of surrender to him, and his power reached its peak for a while.
At this time, Liu Biao finally decided to proclaim himself emperor.
Since the spring of this year, many officials and aristocratic families who were attached to him have been trying to persuade him to join, including Jia Xu, Zhang Xiu, Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and others.
Liu Biao repeatedly "rejected", but in the end he could not resist the so-called "revival of the Han Dynasty". In March of the 11th year of Jian'an, that is, April of 206 AD, he officially ascended the throne as emperor. The title of the country remained Han, and he granted hundreds of officials and rewards.
Banquet for ministers.
Only half of the Jingzhou aristocratic families were willing to follow Liu Biao's madness, while the other half were obviously on the sidelines. Many people even moved directly to the south, unwilling to serve in the Jingzhou court.
But no matter what, after several years of planning, Liu Biao's long-cherished wish was finally realized. In March, he officially offered sacrifices to heaven and earth, completed the enthronement ceremony, established his capital in Xiangyang, and established his empire.
There were different opinions on Liu Biao's act of proclaiming emperor in different parts of the world. The Chen Du court severely condemned and sent envoys to negotiate. Liu Zhang was also very angry. However, the current situation was weak and there was no way to offend Liu Biao, so he had no choice but not to interfere. Sun Quan appealed to the northern court.
He proclaimed himself a minister and expressed his willingness to form an alliance with Cao Cao to fight against Liu Biao.
Han Sui, Ma Teng and others from Guanzhong also sent people from Wuguan to Jingzhou to express their congratulations, but Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang did not show any expression. Since Cao Cao retreated to Yanzhou, the two brothers have been fighting each other's wits.
I really had no intention of provoking Liu Biao.
For a time, due to Liu Biao's great power, no one dared to do anything except Cao Cao and his mortal enemy Sun Quan, who had different political stances. However, Cao Cao and Sun Quan were licking their wounds and did not send troops south to attack Jingzhou.
Therefore, even if there were some objections within Jingzhou, without the interference of external forces, Liu Biao's process of proclaiming himself emperor went very smoothly, as smoothly as if it was destiny.
In Xiangyang City, Jingzhou, Liu Biao, who had completed the enthronement ceremony a few days ago, was discussing matters with Jia Xu, Kuai Yue and others in the former Chu Prince's Mansion, now the Imperial Palace.
After Liu Biao proclaimed himself emperor, he awarded hundreds of officials. He had previously promised Jia Xu to be the prime minister, but for the time being he did not follow the example of the previous Han Dynasty and created the post of prime minister. Instead, he first appointed Jia Xu as the Taifu, taking charge of the three princes, and the remaining Cai Mao as the Taiwei.
, Kuai Yue was Situ, and Huang Zu was Sikong.
Zhang Yun, Liu He, Liu Xian, Deng Hong, Wen Ying, Liu Guan, Cheng Qi and other original subordinate officials were Jiuqing.
The rest are Zhang Xiu, Huang She, Wang Wei, Lu Jie, Wenpin, Wu Ju, Han Xi, Kuai Jun, Kuai Qi, Zhang Cun, Xi Zhen, Yang Yi, Xiang Lang, Song Zhong, Qi Wukai, Wang Can,
Fu Xun, Du Kui, Meng Yao, Xu Si, Lai Gong, Hu Fu, Liu Rui and others also received awards.
And they include many aristocratic families in Jingzhou, such as Xiang Lang of the Xiang family in Xiangyang, Xi Zhen of the Xi family in Xiangyang, Zhang Cun of the Zhang family in Nanyang, Yang Yi of the Yang family in Xiangyang, and Pang Wen of the Pang family in Xiangyang.
Historically, they were originally middle- and lower-level officials under Liu Biao. Later, after Liu Biao's collapse, they defected to Liu Bei and became Liu Bei's subordinates.
Therefore, after Liu Biao proclaimed himself emperor, he naturally became Liu Biao's minister and did not oppose Liu Biao.
However, there were still some who refused Liu Biao's conquest, such as Han Ran of the Han family in Nanyang, who was initially appointed as an official in Nanyang by Liu Biao. After Liu Biao proclaimed himself emperor, he abandoned his official position and went south to join Liu Bei.
As for Yi Ji, Li Yan and others also abandoned their official positions and went to Liu Bei. They were originally county magistrates sent by Liu Biao to Wancheng. Since Liu Bei had a good reputation in Wancheng, they all sincerely admired Liu Bei's conduct.
They all went to seek refuge.
The other eight major families in Jingzhou, the Cai family and the Kuai family all turned to Liu Biao, while the Pang family had only one branch, Pang Wen. This Pang Wen was the son of Pang Ji, one of Liu Biao's early counselors. Pang Ji was a member of Pang Degong's clan. After his death, Pang Wen also
It does not represent the Pang family, so the Pang family is on the sidelines.
The Xiang family, the Yang family, and the Xi family did send their core disciples to serve as officials for Liu Biao, but they were only official positions and did not all turn to him. The Huang family and the Ma family did not send any members. Among the Ma family, Baimei was the best, although
At this time, Ma Liang had just reached the throne, but he believed that Liu Biao was not worthy of his trust, so Ma did not become an official.
This is almost the reaction of the entire Jingzhou family to Liu Biao proclaiming himself emperor. Except for the Cai family and the Kuai family who have boarded the ship and cannot escape, the others either remain neutral and wait and see, or they just send someone to serve as officials to deal with it.
Liu Biao and more people did not intend to participate.
However, Liu Biao didn't care. Now he has become the general trend. He has nearly 200,000 troops under his command. Although many top aristocratic families are still waiting to see, there are still countless small and medium-sized aristocratic families and children from poor families who are willing to serve as officials in Jingzhou, so now he
There is no shortage of middle- and lower-level officials doing the work.
Now it's just because he is too old, he is already over sixty-five years old. Although he is proclaimed emperor, he feels that he may not live for a few years, so he summons a few close friends and discusses with them the establishment of an heir.
At this moment, in the main hall, Grand Tutor Jia Xu, Situ Kuaiyue, Zhang Yun, Liu He, Liu Xian, Deng Hong, Wen Ying, Liu Guan, Cheng Qi and other ministers were all present.
Liu Biao coughed softly for a few times, and then said: "My lords, now that I have conquered most of the south, Liu Zhang is weak and cannot set an example for the clan. The next step is for me to seize Xichuan. What do you think?"
Kuai Yue quickly said: "Your Majesty is about to achieve hegemony, how about it?"
"good."
Cheng Qi also said: "Your Majesty has a strong army and a strong horse. It is destiny. As long as you get Xichuan and Jiangdong, you can go north to conquer the Central Plains and achieve great things."
"Hahahahaha."
Liu Biao stroked his beard and laughed. When he was excited, he coughed violently, causing many officials below to frown slightly.
In fact, it seems that there are not many aristocratic families in Jingzhou who are willing to serve him, but the main reason is that Liu Biao is too old and his descendants are not up to par, so he is turned away.
If Liu Biao was thirty years old, or even forty years old, there would probably be a large number of Jingzhou aristocratic families willing to follow him and become ministers of the new dynasty.
Because his power is really great.
The entire Jingzhou and Jiaozhou, and then a small half of Yangzhou, and Liu Zhang was crippled, and Sun Quan also suffered considerable losses.
Under normal circumstances, if Liu Biao had enough energy, it would definitely not be a big problem to annex Yizhou first and then take Jiangdong.
But it is a pity that he was young, Liu Cong was cowardly, and Liu Qi had some other factors, so he was abandoned by the aristocratic family.
"Cough cough cough"
Liu Biao coughed a few times, calmed down again, looked around at the crowd and said, "We are just around the corner to get the land of Yizhou in the east of the Yangtze River. However, I feel that I am not in good health. I am afraid that something unexpected may happen. I want to establish a prince. My third son, you guys think so."
Who can take it?"
"Forehead"
Everyone hesitated for a moment and looked at Kuai Yue.
Kuai Yue immediately said: "Your Majesty, all three princes are good, but only the second prince is the most suitable."
"Why is this?"
Liu Biao looked at Kuai Yue. He also had a lot of entanglements on this issue, so he held a meeting to discuss it.
Kuai Yue analyzed: "The second prince has good moral character and can succeed him."
"What about Berry and Ji Xu?"
"The third prince is young, so the eldest prince is better."
"How about Berry?"
Liu Biao asked.
Kuai Yue said softly: "No queen."
"Hmm"
Liu Biao then began to ponder.
This is Liu Qi's biggest disadvantage, he has no descendants.
To a certain extent, Liu Biao did establish a foundation.
But the issue of future generations is his biggest shortcoming.
It was basically impossible for Liu Xiu to be young and not talented in literature. Therefore, Liu Biao could only choose one between Liu Qi and Liu Cong.
Liu Qi is a suitable heir, but having no heir means that the imperial legacy cannot be passed on.
Liu Cong did have an heir, but he was cowardly. Once Liu Biao died and Liu Cong succeeded to the throne, power would be controlled by the Cai Kuai clan.
If there were a strong emperor like Zhu Yuanzhang, he would simply carry out a general purge and kill the Cai Kuai family from top to bottom. In this way, after Liu Biao's death, Liu Cong would naturally inherit power smoothly.
The problem is that the basis of Liu Bian's rule is in the hands of the Cai and Kuai clans. Cai and Kuai occupy two-fifths of Jingzhou's 200,000 troops, and the rest are in the hands of Zhang Yun, Huang Zu, Liu Pan and others.
, to cleanse the Cai Kuai clan is to cut off both arms.
So this is the most embarrassing part.
It was not suitable for the eldest son, nor for the second son. Liu Biaokong had such a large territory and great power, but he had no heir.
If he was adopted from the clan in normal years, for example, wouldn't Liu Pan, Liu Hu and others be his nephews?
But this is not the case in the war years when we are conquering the country, we need a heroic hero.
Therefore, this is the real reason why the family does not side with him.
There is no successor.
This is Liu Pian's current situation.
Seeing this situation, Liu Biao sighed and said, "Let's discuss this matter later."
"only!"
The ministers looked at each other and left.
On this issue, even Jia Xu could not make any more hints.
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A few days later.
Xunyang County, Yuzhang County, Yangzhou.
Although Sun Quan was defeated, the Jiangxia navy also suffered a tragic victory. Huang Zu himself was almost captured and lost tens of thousands of horses, so he had to retreat to Chaisang and other places.
Liu Qi and Shen Chen continued to be stationed in Xunyang, and the confrontation with Jiangdong was almost the same as after the Pengli Water Battle.
Inside the Xunyang County Government Office, Liu Qi was anxiously walking back and forth in the Government Office Hall.
After a while, Shen Chen came in a hurry. Seeing his arrival, Liu Qi quickly shouted: "Ah Chen, something bad has happened. My father has really proclaimed himself emperor."
"well."
Shen Chen shook his head and said: "The general trend cannot be stopped by human power."
Liu Qi pulled Shen Chen to sit on the table and asked anxiously: "Then what should I do?"
When Liu Biao planned to proclaim himself emperor, he sent people to Jiangxia to recall Liu Qi, intending to make him the prince.
Jia Xu and Shen Chen's persuasion actually had an effect, but Liu Qi did not dare to return to Xiangyang because he had been assassinated several times in the recent period.
Jiangxia was Huang Zu's territory, and tens of thousands of Jiangxia naval troops were surrounded by Liu Qi. They could be assassinated here, let alone return to Xiangyang.
I'm afraid that place has long since become a dragon's pond and a tiger's den, and going back is basically a dead end.
Therefore, at Shen Chen's suggestion, Liu Qi refused Liu Biao's call on the grounds that he wanted to prevent and eliminate losses in Jiangdong.
Although Liu Biao wanted to take Liu Qi with him when he proclaimed himself emperor, hold sacrifices and enthronement ceremonies, and officially appoint him as the prince, but he also hesitated after learning about Liu Qi's assassination, and ultimately did not force his recall.
In the final analysis, the reason why Liu Biao is where he is today is first of all because of the support of the Kuai and Cai families. Even now, Kuai Yue and Cai Hao still control powerful armies and cannot be moved lightly.
Secondly, he really likes Mrs. Cai, and Liu Cong is also his biological son. The palms and backs of his hands are full of flesh, so it is difficult to let go of her.
Therefore, Liu Biao could only let Liu Qi continue to stay in Jiangxia, and then think of other ways to consider the successor issue.
In addition, there is the most important point.
Liu Biao himself has been thinking about this matter every day these days.
Even though he knew that if he passed the throne to Liu Cong, his great power would be captured by Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and others.
But Liu Qi's biggest problem is that he has no children.
Although he has made a big fortune, he has no eldest son, so there is no inheritance. This is the worst thing.
Therefore, Liu Biao still seemed very hesitant and undecided on this matter.
And this is a good thing for Liu Qi. After all, once he is crowned prince, Liu Cong's forces will probably go crazy and start to counterattack against him.
Shen Chen knelt down on the table and said seriously: "The King of Chu had the intention to proclaim himself emperor a long time ago, and rashly proclaiming himself emperor is a way to bring disaster. The hearts of the people in the world will return to the Han Dynasty, and those who can return are the Han people in the Chendu court.
Instead of the Han Dynasty in Jingzhou, the King of Chu is now offering sacrifices to heaven and earth in the eastern suburbs, establishing his own court, conferring awards to hundreds of officials, and is ostracizing himself from the people of the world. The eldest son must not take the wings of the King of Chu."
Liu Qi sat slumped on the table and said: "That's my father, what can I do if I can't take his wings? I also tried to persuade him, but he wrote to me instead saying that we are descendants of the clan, and we should revitalize the country of Han Dynasty." He said
The imperial capital is for the inheritance of our ancestors."
"If the King of Chu were twenty years younger, there would be no problem in proclaiming himself emperor, but as he grows older, manpower cannot defeat destiny."
Shen Chen looked at Liu Qi and said: "The eldest son is a sensible person. He must not agree to return to Xiangyang. If he goes to Xiangyang, he may be harmed by the second son. The eldest son has no heirs. Returning to Xiangyang may not lead to the passing of the son.
Once the second son inherits the throne, the eldest son will undoubtedly die. He should be based in Jiangxia, farm diligently, and take in many concubines."
"ah?"
Liu Qi was dumbfounded and said: "Achen wants me to have a few children in Jiangxia?"
Shen Chen smiled and said: "Of course, if the eldest son has the intention to inherit the great legacy of the King of Chu, he should work hard to have an heir, otherwise the inheritance will be obtained by Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and others. The eldest son should know the character of the second son.
If I succeed to the throne, I am afraid that the country built by King Chu will not be preserved."
This is the most realistic problem. Liu Qi has no heir, Liu Cong is controlled by Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and others. Liu Xiu is young and has no talent. Unless Liu Biao has the courage to pass the throne to Liu Pan and Liu Hu, otherwise, this inheritance is destined to last for a long time.
No.
Shen Chen and Liu Qi have a close friendship. Although Shen Chen loves Liu Bei, he also sincerely gives Liu Qi advice. If he works hard and gives birth to a child, the future situation may be very different.
"I'll do my best."
Liu Qi reluctantly agreed.
Shen Chen held up his hands to him and said: "Eldest Young Master, now that Jiangdong is unable to attack Yuzhang, I have to go back home."
"Why? Ah Chen, are you leaving me?"
Liu Qi quickly persuaded him to stay.
Shen Chen smiled and said: "I am already crowned this year. My parents wrote to me and asked me to go home and read it. It is time for me to pick up my crown and give it a crown."
In the Han Dynasty, the crown ceremony was the third most important ceremony in life after funerals and dusk ceremonies, and a grand banquet was required.
Shen Chen is twenty years old this year, and it is indeed time for him to go back and hold this grand ceremony.
Liu Qi nodded and said: "I see, then I will wait for Ah Chen in Yuzhang and you will come back as soon as possible."
"only!"
Shen Chen surrendered, he would set off back to Xinye in the next two days.