September 6, the twenty-fifth year of Jian'an. North, Hanoi County, Chaoge County.
Chaoge was once the ancient capital of the Shang Dynasty, but thousands of years later, people have long forgotten it.
In the Han Dynasty, it was just an ordinary and ordinary county town.
After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Dong Zhuo's Rebellion, and the feuding princes fighting for hegemony, Hanoi County had long since become dilapidated and withered.
Chaoge County, in particular, was once looted by the warlords who occupied Hanoi, the Kwantung Allied Forces, and the Black Mountain bandits in the Taihang Mountains, and was almost reduced to ruins.
It was not until during Jian'an that Cao Cao secured the north, and the melee among the Kanto princes gradually subsided.
A large number of remnants of the Yellow Turbans and the Black Mountain Army came out of the Taihang Mountains and were ordered to stay by Cao Cao. They began to thrive in Hanoi County, Wei County, Zhao State, Changshan State and other places near the foot of the Taihang Mountains. Only then did Chaoge gradually regain some popularity.
Last year, Shen Chen first defeated Cao Hong in Kunyang, Yingchuan, and then returned to Jingzhou, where he defeated the Jiangdong Army first, and then went north to take Xiangfan. He flooded seven armies, captured him, beheaded Xiahou, and shocked China. Cao Cao was shocked and worried. The safety of the hinterland of the Central Plains in Henan and other places is at risk.
Therefore, he immediately ordered the capital to be moved at that time, and moved the Chendu court to the north of the Yellow River to prevent Shen Chen's army from going north, attacking Yuzhou and other places, and bringing the Emperor of Han back to the south.
Although Cao Cao almost controlled the entire northern situation at that time, there were still those who cared about the Han Dynasty.
When Shen Chen shocked China, the turmoil it caused to the north was unimaginable. Rebellions and uprisings were like crucian carp crossing the river. If Liu Bei hadn't fought very reluctantly at that time, Shu was on the verge of collapse, and Cao Wei would have been on the verge of destruction.
Therefore, if Shen Chen is allowed to take Liu Xie away, Cao Cao will immediately lose a lot, at least in terms of reputation and justice. Once Liu Xie starts to order the world to conquer Cao Wei in the north, it will inevitably cause more people to revolt against Cao Wei's rule, thus Intensify the internal strife in the north.
However, as the Liu Bei Group began the war against Jiangdong this year, Cao Pi finally got through this difficult period after succeeding the King of Wei. He not only calmed down the civil strife, but also strengthened his control over the local area. Originally, due to the defeat of Jingzhou in Guanzhong, And the turmoil caused by Cao Cao's death gradually returned to calm.
After all, the foundation of the Wei State was strong. Although more than 100,000 troops were lost in the Battle of Jingzhou and the Battle of Guanzhong, compared to a population of nearly 20 million, Cao Wei could still accept this loss, so the situation gradually stabilized.
It was also at this time that Cao Pi began to consider usurping the Han Dynasty.
Normally, he would not dare.
Because once we tamper with someone, the impact will be huge.
Liu Bei must make the Northern Expedition.
Then the internal situation will be extremely unstable. People from all walks of life who are interested in the Han Dynasty will rise up and cooperate with each other. Cao Wei will be in great danger.
But it happened that Liu Bei was conquering Jiangdong and had no time to pay attention to the north.
Cao Pi then secretly prepared for nearly half a year, first getting rid of a large number of officials who were interested in the Han Dynasty, and then began to build momentum for usurping the Han Dynasty.
First, he ordered Liu Zhen to contact many ministers and persuade them to enter the palace to observe the current situation.
After discovering that a large number of Cao Wei's ministers had no objection, Cao Pi became more and more bold, and immediately began to snatch the emperor's seal and force Liu Xie to abdicate.
The original plan was to hold the abdication ceremony in October this year, but due to Cao Chun's failure, Jiangdong was not given time to delay, so he was forced to hold it in advance and arrived at Chaoge in September.
Chao Geling was Wu Zhi, one of Cao Pi's four friends and his most trusted minister.
At this moment, the Chaogeyuan County Government Mansion, now the Emperor Liu Xie's palace, had three floors inside and three floors outside. A large number of Cao Jun soldiers controlled the entrances and exits.
Cao Pi entered the hall surrounded by everyone.
He arrived at Chaoge yesterday and didn't even go to see Liu Xie. He couldn't wait to go to the palace the next day.
Liu Xie sat on the main seat, guarded by attendants on both sides.
His face was almost ugly to the extreme, with anger, fear, horror and a trace of sadness in his eyes.
The Han Dynasty is about to surrender to others.
"His Majesty!"
Cao Pi went up to the hall with his sword on his feet. He entered the court without any hesitation, and without paying homage to his name, he came to the hall generously, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I wish you all the best."
"Wish you the same blessing?"
Liu Xie laughed miserably and said: "My kingdom will be taken away by you, what else can I share with you?"
Cao Pi said with a smile: "Your Majesty, what you said is wrong. The emperor will be a virtuous man. Today, the Wei Dynasty is not settled in the south. People from all over the world admire the kindness of the Wei Dynasty. They are willing to serve the people of Wei instead of the ministers of the Han Dynasty. They have come forward one after another.
I hope that your Majesty will abdicate the throne. Isn't it the will of heaven and man? Not to mention that the number of days has changed, and the magic weapon has become easier. It is the law of nature to match heaven and man, and follow the rules of Yao and Shun. Why does your majesty reject the will of the people and heaven?"
Liu Xie said sadly and angrily: "You are a usurper and traitor, and I will never give way to you."
"oh?"
Cao Pi's expression darkened and he winked at Hua Xin.
Hua Xin had no choice but to step forward and half-coerce and half-persuad: "Your Majesty, it is destiny for Wei to replace the Han Dynasty. Because of your majesty's benevolence and feeling powerless to save the ruined country, he is willing to abdicate the throne to the King of Wei.
I also ask your Majesty to think twice and not to die in a dragon's grave after Your Majesty abdicates."
Liu Xie was shocked, then fell silent, his lips trembled, and he sat slumped in his seat. He knew that even if he refused, it would be useless, because the history books would still write that he abdicated to Cao Pi, and died suddenly after three to five months.
, who will care about him?
So it is better to agree and think in a good direction. At least Liu Bei in the south is still there, the Han Dynasty still has half of the country, and the Han Dynasty has not died in his hands. That is enough, right?
Thinking of this, Liu Xie said disheartenedly: "If that's the case, then just follow the arrangements of King Wei. I am only willing to go into seclusion with the Queen, and I hope that King Wei will take care of the fact that I am a sibling with the same mother as the Queen.
Please don't harm me and the queen."
Cao Pi said happily: "Your Majesty is wise, please rest assured. As long as your Majesty is willing to surrender to me, I will treat you well."
Liu Xie sighed: "I hope you can keep your promise today."
"Your Majesty, please come to the abdication platform."
When Hua Xin saw this, he shouted loudly.
At that moment, everyone moved the emperor's carriage, surrounded Liu Xie out of the mansion, boarded the carriage and drove towards the southern suburbs of the city.
Sacrificial activities in the Han Dynasty were generally held in the southern suburbs. They began in the first year of the founding of Emperor Cheng of the Western Han Dynasty when he built a circular mound south of the Kunming Old Canal outside Chang'an City to worship heaven and earth and the five gods.
After leaving the city and walking for more than ten miles, we arrived at the concession stand.
Historically, this platform was located outside the south city of Xudu, later in the area of Fancheng Town, Linying County, Henan Province.
But now, in order to avoid Shen Chen's influence, Cao Cao moved his capital to Chaoge, so this platform was built by Wu Zhi in the south of Chaoge City, east of Beiyang Town, Qi County, Hebei Province.
Before they even got close, they could already see countless Wei soldiers wearing black armor and black military uniforms from a distance, standing guard around the abdication platform on three floors inside and three outside.
Some of them lined up in a row outside, some lined up on the roads on both sides of the road, and some stood densely under the concession stand, forming several square formations to build up their momentum.
Around the abdication platform, many ministers of the Wei Dynasty have arrived, including some ethnic minorities dressed in strange costumes that are completely different from the Central Plains people.
According to the enthronement ceremony in the Han Dynasty, the new emperor needed to go to the altar to offer sacrifices and pray to heaven, and be accompanied by officials such as ministers, princes, generals and so on.
In addition, there will be Xiongnu Chanyu and tens of thousands of barbarian courtiers from all directions coming to celebrate.
Since the Western Han Dynasty opened up the Western Regions, conquered Jiaozhi in the south, defeated the Xiongnu in the north, destroyed Korea in the east, destroyed Dawan in the west, and dominated the four directions, every time the Han Dynasty encountered major events, dozens of countries in the Western Regions, including Eastern Yi, Nanman, Xirong, Beidi and other border ethnic minorities,
Everyone will come to pay tribute.
This was the beginning of the so-called "Heaven came to the country and all the nations came to the court", and it was also one of the important reasons why the Han and Tang Dynasties were recognized as two super empires in the history of the Chinese nation.
Now at the end of the Han Dynasty, it naturally no longer has the power it had during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
Moreover, Cao Pi's ascension to the throne was somewhat hasty.
Historically, his abdication ceremony was held in October. It took nearly a year to prepare since he succeeded King Wei, so the ceremony was still very successful.
Like the ethnic minorities in the Northeast, some countries that still exist in the Western Regions sent envoys to congratulate them.
But now it had to be held in advance due to Liu Bei's offensive. As a result, some envoys from as far away as Liaodong, the Western Regions, and the Three Koreas were still on the way, so there were only a handful of barbarian court officials from all directions.
Only the Xiongnu in the south, Xianbei in the east, and Wuhuan in Youzhou each sent envoys of hundreds of people, with a sparse number of more than a thousand people, far less powerful than the tens of thousands who came to the Han Dynasty.
But after all, Cao Wei only had half of the country, and he wanted to take back the Western Regions, so it was good to have these people to give him face.
This was also due to the fact that Cao Cao defeated the Xianbei and Wuhuan Xiongnu in the north, moved the southern Xiongnu, Wuhuan and other tribes to the interior, and forcibly suppressed the ethnic minorities on the border of Cao Wei. Otherwise, there might not even be these people.
At this moment, many ministers and barbarians are already waiting.
The emperor's carriage slowly drove into the formation and arrived at the concession stand.
The high platform is about three feet high, with flags erected on it, an altar for sacrifices, and three animals and grains.
Liu Xie, accompanied by several attendants, tremblingly climbed onto the high platform with the support of several attendants. Hua Xin loudly sang in praise: "The emperor is on the stage, and all the officials bow to each other!"
"Long live your Majesty!"
Many ministers knelt down one after another, in a kneeling position, with their hands flat on their foreheads, and then slowly bent down and bowed in obedience.
In the Han Dynasty, there was a ritual of kneeling and saluting, which was made by Liu Bangling's minister Shusun Tong, but it was not like the Qing Dynasty where one had to kneel down and salute all the time, but only on important occasions.
For example, when the old emperor dies, the new emperor ascends the throne, burns are burned to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth, ancestors and gods are sacrificed, and when the emperor holds a particularly important court meeting.
That's why usually, even if you meet the emperor, you only need to raise your hands in salute, but now you have to kneel down.
At this time, even Wei King Cao Pi was kneeling under the stage.
"Welcome the gods!"
Hua Xin shouted as one of today's salute officials.
The attendant then lit the firewood in the wood stove and let the smoke rise high to express the meaning of human respect for heaven being transmitted to heaven.
Liu Xie then knelt down and worshiped in front of the Haotian God tablet on the altar.
After that, he laid jade and silk fabrics and presented jade and silk fabrics to the gods.
Taichang Qing Xing Zhen walked to the stage and guided Liu Xie to wash up and go to the altar to offer three incense ceremonies. The deacon presented the jade silk to the emperor, who then presented it to the god.
During this process, the band below continued to play music, while many ministers still maintained their postures of worship.
Then the ceremonies such as entering the altar and first offering gifts were completed.
Liu Xie was busy for half an hour before Si Zhu finally knelt down to read the blessings and completed the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven and earth.
According to the past, when offering sacrifices to the heaven and earth, one must also offer sacrifices to the ancestors.
But today is a very special day.
It is not just as simple as offering sacrifices to heaven and earth, but also holding abdication.
If the previous emperors of the Han Dynasty saw Liu Xiechan abdicating the throne, wouldn't they be angry to death?
So there was no arrangement for ancestor worship.
After completing the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven and earth, there is the abdication ceremony.
"Invite King Wei to the stage!"
Hua Xin sang loudly again.
Cao Pi then stood up, came to the stage, and knelt down in front of Liu Xie.
Liu Xie held an abdication edict in his hand. Facing the many kneeling courtiers below, he read with a trembling voice: "I have been in office for thirty-two years, but the world has been overthrown. Fortunately, thanks to the spirit of my ancestors, I have been able to survive the crisis.
Resurrection. However, looking up at the astronomical sky and looking down at the hearts of the people, the number of the Yanjing has ended, and the fortune depends on the Cao family. In the past, the king has established great achievements in martial arts, and now the king has a bright and bright virtue to meet his expectations. This is clearly evident, and we can believe it.
.The husband's journey of the great road, the world is a public one, and the virtuous and capable are selected. Therefore, Yao of the Tang Dynasty did not privately favor his sons, and his reputation spread to infinity. I envy and admire him. Now he follows Yao's canon, and his Zen is the king of Wei."
"I thank you, Your Majesty!"
Cao Pi stood up solemnly and took the abdication edict with both hands.
"Your Majesty, please give me your seal."
Hua Xin continued to shout.
The attendant on the side came over carrying the jade seal passed down from the country.
Liu Xie took the jade seal, looked at it with reluctance, and slowly handed the jade seal to Cao Pi's hand.
Cao Pi took the jade seal and kowtowed again.
Afterwards, there were some ceremonies, such as Liu Xie taking off the robes of the emperor and putting on the robes of the princes and kings, while Cao Pi took off the robes of the princes and kings and put on the robes of the emperor, etc.
It was not until the afternoon that the abdication ceremony came to an end, and then Cao Pi also began to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth.
The difference from Liu Xie this time is that in addition to offering sacrifices to the heaven and earth, the Five Mountains, the Four Gods and the gods of various places, the ancestors of the Cao family of all generations were also placed on the altar.
Therefore, Cao Pi's sacrifices included an additional process than Liu Xie's, which was to offer incense to the ancestors, bow down, and then offer incense, jade, silk, wine, etc. to show respect for the ancestors.
After that, the congratulatory officials presented blessings, the silk officials presented silks, and the priest-in-charge officials presented writings, all of which were sent to the furnace for burning. Cao Pi, who ascended the throne as the new emperor, went to Wangliao to watch the burning of sacrifices. After the internal praise ceremony was completed, the ceremony was held to worship the heaven.
Officially over.
After it was over, Cao Pi sat high on the stage and accepted the obeisances of the courtiers and the foreign envoys from all directions. The entire venue, except Liu Xie, fell to their knees.
Seeing this situation, Cao Pi was very satisfied and announced some more things.
For example, Liu Xie was granted the title of Duke of Shanyang, with 10,000 households in the city. He was placed above the princes and kings. He did not submit to his ministers when performing tasks, and did not worship when receiving edicts. He worshiped heaven and earth in the suburbs with the emperor's chariot and uniforms. The ancestral temple, ancestors, and wax were all like the Han system, and the capital was Shanyang.
The city of Zhuolu.
There were also large-scale awards for ministers, formally placing the Wei state in the position of an empire, establishing the Three Gongs and Nine Ministers, and inheriting all regulations from the Han system to express the legitimacy of the new empire.
At the same time, three generations were named: his father Cao Cao was Emperor Wu, his grandfather Cao Song was the Tai Emperor, and Cao Song's adoptive father, the eunuch Cao Teng, was the Emperor Gao.
In the end, even the Yi ministers who came from all over the world were rewarded.
It was only here that the abdication (throne usurping) ceremony finally came to an end. Many ministers and envoys below thanked the new emperor several times.
Cao Pi stood on the stage, looking down at everyone, with a bright smile on his face.
The Wei Empire.
After two generations, it was finally established!