The victory in the Battle of Hanzhong was the pinnacle of Liu Bei's military operations. After winning this battle, he controlled half of Jingzhou, all of Yizhou, and the land of Hanzhong. In terms of land size, he could rival Cao Cao and Sun Quan.
It's an arm-wrestling moment.
At this point, Liu Bei's next move is to become king.
Because as early as two years ago, Cao Cao had ascended to the throne of Wei.
In order to be on an equal footing with his old rival politically, it was imperative that Liu Bei ascended the throne and became king.
According to the territory he occupied, to be crowned king, of course he must be the King of Hanzhong.
Because the last person to occupy Bashu and Hanzhong, and finally proclaimed himself king and emperor, was the founder of the clan named Liu, Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang.
After Liu Bei captured Hanzhong, he almost obtained the same political resources as Liu Bang before the Chu-Han conflict.
At this time, if Liu Bei ascended the throne as "King of Hanzhong", it would be easy for people to think of Liu Bang's "King of Han". It's just that the name of the imperial court is "Han", so Liu Bei did not dare to call him "King of Han" and could only call him "King of Han".
Just "King of Hanzhong".
This was a huge political offensive for Cao Cao, who had been usurping the Han Dynasty and establishing himself on his own. Liu Bei's title of "King of Hanzhong" would have had a huge influence and appeal among those who supported Liu and opposed Cao all over the world.
At this time, the situation in the world has also turned vaguely: Cao Cao no longer has the possibility to dominate the world. On the contrary, Liu Bei may repeat Liu Bang's story of the past, entering the Guanzhong from Hanzhong, and then annihilating the heroes. It is the "King of Hanzhong" who is to Liu Bei
It is of great significance not only at the military level, but also at the political level.
So what followed was a trick by the ministers to persuade him to join. In the end, Zhuge Liang made an irrefutable argument that finally left Liu Bei speechless and his heart filled with joy.
In the autumn and July of the 24th year of Jian'an, an altar was built in Mianyang, with a radius of nine miles and distributed in five directions. There were banners and ceremonial guards in each area. The officials were arranged in order. Xu Jing, Fa Zheng invited Xuande to ascend the altar, enter the crown, seal, and ribbon.
Sitting facing south, he was congratulated by civil and military officials as the King of Hanzhong. His son Liu Chan was established as the Crown Prince.
Xu Jing was granted the title of Grand Tutor, Fa Zheng was granted the title of Shangshu Ling; Zhuge Liang was granted the title of Military Advisor, and the prime minister was responsible for important military and state affairs. Grants Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, and Huang Zhong were granted the title of Five Tiger Generals, and Wei Yan was granted the title of Prefect of Hanzhong. The remaining titles were planned for meritorious service.
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Among them, Gao Xiang, Guo Yuan and other heroes who participated in the Battle of Yangping Pass were also rewarded, and the military morale was very high for a while.
Since Xuande was the king of Hanzhong, he repaired a petition and sent people to Xudu. In addition to the petition, he also returned the seals of General Zuo and Marquis Ting of Yicheng. This is called having a beginning and an end.
After Cao Cao heard the news in Yecheng that Liu Bei was proclaimed King of Hanzhong, he couldn't help but became furious and shouted: "How dare you do this, little mat weaver! I swear to destroy him!"
Of course, he only said this in words. Due to the logistical disaster caused by his insistent policy of relocating the people, the Central Plains was destabilized and he did not dare to act rashly.
But here in Hanzhong, when others call Feng Zhou, they no longer call him "Mr. Chan" or "Gongzi Chan", but instead call him "Shizi Chan".
One advantage of becoming a prince is that you can open a government office and set up your own small team.
However, Feng Zhou was not in the mood to do this for the time being. He took advantage of Liu Bei's happiness and said: "Father, now you have ascended to the throne of Hanzhong, and your second uncle has been awarded the title of the first of the Five Tiger Generals. The former general, Jiajieyue, in order to stabilize Hanzhong,
My second uncle will lead the army to attack Xiangyang. With his talents, he will definitely threaten Xiangfan and shake up the Central Plains."
"Haha, I didn't expect you to think of this, not bad." Liu Bei nodded approvingly, feeling very happy in his heart.
"Gu has been discussing with Kong Ming, Fazheng, and Yide for days. After the Battle of Hanzhong, the entire army was very tired. Although they have been repaired, they still cannot fight continuously. Therefore, Yun Chang can only fight alone and make moves that threaten the Central Plains.
That’s it.” Liu Bei smiled.
"My father is wise, but my second uncle is arrogant. If my father's side conquers Hanzhong, my second uncle must want to take Xiangfan so that he can explain it to his good brother. In this way, the war will be protracted, and Sun Quan's son from Jiangdong will definitely take advantage of the situation.
We are coming to attack, but with the talents of Uncle Fang (Mi Fang) and others, I am afraid that they will not be able to withstand the attack of treacherous people like Lu Su, Lu Meng or Lu Xun, so we will have to send a fierce general to guard the rear for Uncle Fang." Feng Zhou said.
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"Nonsense, Lu Zijing is a loyal gentleman, how can he be a treacherous person." Liu Bei scolded with a smile, but still nodded: "But what you said makes sense. My son has grown up after the Battle of Hanzhong, and he is very lucky to be alone.
.It’s just that the Battle of Hanzhong has just ended and the soldiers are tired. How can anyone go to Jingzhou to guard the rear for Yunchang at this time?”
Feng Zhou smiled and said: "Father, you are far away in the sky, but you are so close before your eyes."
"You? No!" Liu Bei objected subconsciously.
Are you kidding me? You are only twelve years old and you don’t understand anything. How can you take risks?
But then I thought about it and couldn't help but feel that it made sense.
First, let Liu Chan patrol the land and win people's hearts.
Secondly, I expected that Sun Zhongmou would not risk his life and death by attacking Jingzhou. Yunchang would attack in the front and have peace in the rear, so Adou could practice his skills.
Besides, Adou’s identity is also suitable.
If we were to send a fierce general over, it would be difficult to get along with him given Yunchang's lifelong arrogance and unwillingness to be subordinate.
Adou not only has a suitable identity, but he also killed Xu Huang in formation and organized a group to attack Cao Zhen's flanks. His military talents have been demonstrated in the war, and he is enough to guard the rear for Yunchang.
When the little eagle grows up, it always wants to spread its wings and go out for some experience.
Thinking of this, Liu Bei already agreed in his heart, but said in his mouth: "I still need to discuss this matter with Kong Ming, Xiaozhi, Yide and others. Please step back."
Liu Bei summoned Zhuge Liang, Fazheng and others to discuss. As a result, everyone discussed and felt that what Feng Zhou said made sense. As for the so-called military affairs, stability is the first priority. If Guan Yu wants to make the northern expedition to contain Cao Cao, there must be strong men in the rear.
Feng Zhou is very suitable regardless of his status, age, and abilities.
Fa Zhengdao: "It's a pity that Prince Wang has not led the troops, he is just afraid of going into battle to sharpen his guns."
Zhuge Liang said: "What's so difficult about this? Just let him command the 500 people in Guo Yuan's unit, and let the group of students he teaches serve as his wings. Even Yunchang will feel relieved."
Liu Bei laughed when he heard this, and then handed over the army commanded by the partial general Guo Yuanzeng to Feng Zhou. There were 500 people in total. According to Feng Zhou's suggestion, they named them "Beiwei Army".
The chief general of the Beiwei Army is of course Feng Zhou. According to the organization of the army, he was promoted from the commander of the camp to the commander of the capital. Wu Tong served as the commander of the other departments. Leng Feng, Shi Huan and others served as the commander of the camp, commander, corps commander and other positions.
These low-level officers were all taught by Feng Zhou personally, and now they have been promoted because of their meritorious service with him. Naturally, they are loyal to him, and they can be regarded as Feng Zhou's team.'
So Liu Bei made a big fanfare and arranged for Sima Fei Shi as an envoy to come to Jingzhou with the imperial edict.
The Beiwei army disguised itself as an escort and hid in Fengzhou, concealing its name and identity, and went all the way to Jiangling, the seat of Jingzhou.
Guan Yu welcomed everyone into the city, and after the ceremony at the palace, Yun Chang asked, "But I don't know what title the king of Hanzhong granted me?"
Fei Shi replied: "The first of the Five Tiger Generals."
Guan Yu asked: "What are the five tiger generals?"
"Guan, Zhang, Zhao, Ma, and Huang are the same."
Guan Yu was unhappy when he heard this and said angrily: "Yide is my younger brother. Meng Qi has been a famous family for generations. Zilong has been with my brother for a long time, so he is my younger brother. It's okay to be the same as me. People like Huang Zhong dare to compete with me."
Are we in the same rank? A real man will never associate with an old soldier?" So he refused to be sealed.
Feng Zhou couldn't help laughing when he heard Guan Yu's childish words behind Fei Shi.
When Guan Yu saw the young soldier laughing, he got slightly angry and was about to speak when he saw the young soldier take off his hat, step forward, and bow his hands in salute: "Adou pays homage to my second uncle."
Guan Yu was startled and said in shock: "Is it Adou..., the crown prince?"
"Second uncle, you and my father are brothers and are considered one and the same. The so-called General Guan is the King of Hanzhong, and the King of Hanzhong is General Guan. My father calls me Adou, and my second uncle should naturally call me Adou. Why?
Care about titles?"
Fei Shi, who was next to him, also said: "Your Majesty, on the orders of the King of Hanzhong, came here in secret. Only everyone here knows about this. Please general, please don't tell it widely."
Seeing Guan Yu nod his head, Fei Shi added: "As the prince said, the general is the king of Hanzhong, and the king of Hanzhong is about to lead the army. How can he be equal to others? The general has received the kindness of the king of Hanzhong, and he should share the joys and sorrows with us. It is not appropriate to argue.
I hope the general will think carefully about the importance of official titles."
Guan Yu was enlightened, so he bowed again and said: "I don't understand something, and if I don't teach you from the first step, I will miss the important matter." Then he bowed and received the seal ribbon.
After saying that, he turned to look at Feng Zhou: "After I heard about A Douzhen's killing of Gong Ming, I had a few drinks with your elder brother Tanzhi, congratulating you from a distance, and even sighing that the future life is terrible. But I didn't know that you were ordered by my brother this time.
Why did you sneak up here?"
Feng Zhou said: "My father ordered my second uncle to go north to Xiangfan to conquer Cao Ren. However, I expected that Sun Quan from Jiangdong was uneasy. He was afraid of his second uncle's power and did not dare to take any big actions. However, he would keep making small moves in private. Although Adou was small, he could not deal with these.
It's a small move, but it's a good show. If I don't cut off Sun Zhongmou's long hand this time, wouldn't it be in vain that I miss him so much."
"Hahaha... What Adou said is true, he will definitely kill Sun Quan's son with his long hand." Guan Yu laughed heartily.
Feng Zhou said in his heart: "It turns out that the mighty Martial Saint, my cheap second uncle likes to hear good things, and he seems to be an obedient donkey. Anyway, in order for me to have a clear idea, I just follow his words."