In fact, nothing in this world can escape the relationship of interests. Whether it is an exchange of interests or an involvement of interests, it can always affect people's hearts.
Chen Mu didn’t know whether Liu Yu’s old tears were true or false, but being able to exchange limited benefits for a King of Qi was actually not too much of a loss. What’s more, this prince still had real power, not an ordinary prince.
vassal king.
Since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty issued the favor order, the power of ordinary vassal kings has become less and less powerful. Except for a little local taxation, they are no different from pigs in captivity on weekdays, and they can only give birth to sons.
Liu Bei's ancestor, Liu Sheng, King Jing of Zhongshan, played music and danced all day long. His life basically consisted of drinking, singing, dancing and having sons, and he gave birth to more than 120 sons.
Compared with his ancestors, the King of Qi that Liu Bei was granted was different. He was already very powerful just by being the official in charge of the three divisions and overseeing Qingzhou, Jizhou, and Xuzhou.
Although the imperial court will still send new Jizhou Mu and Xuzhou Mu, Liu Bei has the power to supervise them, which is undoubtedly a great power.
To put it simply, it is equivalent to Cao Cao's King of Wei, Liu Bei's King of Hanzhong and Sun Quan's King of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. They were vassal kings with actual power, but the court still played a trick and reduced his power to Qingzhou.
There are actually three things in Liu Bei's memorial. One is to ask the emperor to go to Hejian to select an heir. The second is to ask the court to send a new shepherd to Jizhou. The third is to Liu Bei's letter, hoping that after Yuan Shao is pacified, the court will
Can send Guan Yu to Guanzhong to control Liu Zhang.
The most important of these three things is the third thing. It is impossible for Guan Yu to take all the soldiers and horses with him when he goes to Guanzhong. In this way, at least half of Luoyang's 100,000 troops will fall into the hands of the imperial court. Even if he gets 50,000, it will not be possible.
Enough for the court to have a certain ability to protect itself.
Although the expected goal of getting all Luoyang's soldiers and horses was not achieved, it was enough for both sides to take a step back and get a satisfactory answer. After all, food has to be eaten one bite at a time, and if you take too big a step, it is easy to break the egg.
On the way back, Liu Bei was full of emotions and said to Chen Mu: "Fourth brother, I never thought that the emperor would make me a vassal king. At that time, my ancestor was Prince Jing of Zhongshan. When it came to my father's generation, even a small child
The little Tinghou is gone, but today I have regained my ancestral glory, and everything is just like a dream."
Chen Mu said with a smile: "Back then I asked my elder brother what his ambition was, and he said that being a general conquering the north was enough. Now it seems that people's goals should be more ambitious. If you are just satisfied with this at the beginning, for example, becoming the prime minister of Jinan
We are already very happy, so how can we achieve today’s glory?”
"yes."
Liu Bei nodded: "I have reached the point where the King of Qi has become a human minister, so what hope is there for me to return? From now on, I must continue to work hard to wipe out Hebei as soon as possible, and then go to the south to wipe out some disobedient ministers, so that the world can be settled and supported.
Han Dynasty!"
Chen Mu hasn't told him about becoming emperor in the future. At this time, Liu Bei probably wouldn't dare to talk about it even if he had this idea, so neither of them ever discussed the topic of becoming emperor.
However, Chen Mu had never planned to tell him so soon. When the time comes in the future, he will naturally wear the yellow robe. It makes sense to build high walls, accumulate food, and delay becoming king. Now he is preparing to become the emperor.
It is easy to become the target of public criticism, so we should keep a low profile and develop steadily.
Chen Mu said softly: "Brother, do you know why your Majesty decreed that your brother should be crowned King of Qi today?"
"Why?"
Liu Bei was also surprised. He didn't know that it would be difficult to become a king based on his background, so after being overwhelmed by joy, he gradually regained his sense after hearing Chen Mu's words.
Chen Mu said to him: "There are three points. One is to use the vassal king to appease his elder brother in exchange for military power in Luoyang. The second is that the vassal king is extremely restricted and everyone in the world is watching. If he violates it, he will be easily criticized. The third is that
If the world is settled in the future, I am afraid that the power to open the government will soon be taken away by the imperial court!"
"Cutting the feudal lordship?"
Liu Bei frowned. When Emperor Jing adopted Chao Cuo's "Cutting the Vassal Policy", which led to the chaos in the Seven Kingdoms, he was not unaware of this. The power of the vassal king does not come from the court, but from his ability to control the local area.
.
All the officials, big and small, taxes, troops and horses in their own fiefdoms belong to the vassal king. This is like a country within a country. Officials and soldiers obey the vassal king but not the court. How can the court not be afraid?
If, after he has brought peace to the world, he is crowned king and returns to his country, with a large number of troops in his own Qingzhou territory, and the power to appoint officials and administer taxes, I am afraid that a new round of vassal reduction will begin soon, and the first one will also be
The only one will fall on his head.
It depends on whether he can bear it. If he can bear it, he can honestly hand over the power in his hands and become an ordinary feudal prince like his ancestors who only knows how to eat, drink and have fun, play music and dance, then there will be no more wars.
But if you can't bear it, in the end, I'm afraid war will be inevitable. After all, power itself is an addictive poison, not to mention Liu Bei's character, it is difficult to hand over the life and death of his family, because once the power is handed over
, the imperial court wanted his life, which was a matter of an edict.
"Exactly."
Chen Mu nodded: "The vassal king is not necessarily better than being in the court. Brother, think about what happened to Han Xin? He worked hard for the great cause of Emperor Gaozu for most of his life, and was eventually deceived and captured. He turned from the aloof King of Qi to the Marquis of Huaiyin overnight.
, and finally an imperial edict was issued to grant death. Isn’t the eldest brother’s title today the King of Qi?”
Liu Bei hesitated for a moment and said: "The emperor is kind, so he shouldn't be like this."
"His Majesty is indeed kind today, I have to admit this."
Chen Mu said: "But can eldest brother guarantee that the new emperor is benevolent? Your Majesty is already over sixty, how long can you live? When the new emperor ascends the throne and sees a country within a country with great power, how can he not regard it as a thorn in his side and a thorn in his flesh? Today
The reason why the world is not settled is because there is still a need to get the big brother. Once the world is peaceful, I am afraid that the cunning rabbit will die and the lackeys will be cooked. This has happened countless times throughout the ages, and Han Xin is no different in terms of literature."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Liu Bei was worried for a moment: "Then what should I do?"
Chen Mu said: "Actually, I hope that the eldest brother can become a general. In this case, when the young emperor ascends the throne, the eldest brother can take charge of the government without being criticized by the villains in the court like today."
"Then the imperial court will confer me the title of vassal king today?"
"Yes, it's a trap!"
"this......."
Liu Bei immediately woke up at this moment, and immediately became shuddering from the joy of being crowned king.
Because as Chen Mu said, compared to the vassal king, if he could achieve the position of a general or a tutor, and control the government in the court, it would obviously be much better than being a local prince.
Just like Cao Cao in history, after welcoming the Han Emperor and presenting himself as Emperor, he became the Sikong, a chariot and cavalry general, and took charge of the government affairs. In the thirteenth year of Jian'an, which was before the Battle of Chibi, he abolished the Three Dukes, restored the prime minister system, and appointed himself the Han Dynasty.
Prime Minister.
Of course Liu Bei didn't know what Cao Cao's situation was in history, but Chen Mu's words reminded Liu Bei that wherever he is, attacks from the imperial court will come one after another and continue to attack. The emperor is affected by others every day, even if he has no objections, I'm afraid.
He will soon be accused of rebellion.
And if he himself is in the center, influencing the little emperor every day, and controlling the court like Huo Guang, even after his death, he will probably be as glorious as Huo Guang, as long as he does not have a stupid wife...
Thinking of this, Liu Bei suddenly said thoughtfully: "Then according to the words of the fourth brother, what should I do?"
Chen Mu said with a smile: "Brother, don't panic. The old people in the imperial court are already very old. Many middle and lower-level officials in the imperial court were promoted by us. Once the emperor returns to the throne in the future, the imperial court will definitely call eldest brother back to Luoyang to preside over it. At that time, as long as
The military power is in our hands, and whether the eldest brother will return to his fief is not a matter of words? In the name of the new emperor's young age, it is natural for him to control the government."
"But we have already submitted a letter. Yun Chang will go to Guanzhong soon. By then, Luoyang's soldiers and horses..."
"This is why I delayed Yuan Shao's demise."
Chen Mu sighed: "If Yuan Shao's demise is not delayed, I am afraid that the younger heir will have been chosen by this time, and all the soldiers and horses in Luoyang will be taken away by the court. Then the eldest brother will have to go south to conquer other feudal princes. At that time, I am afraid that people will be killed by swordsmen."
, I’m all for fish and meat.”
"It's so."
Liu Bei's face became solemn. He never expected that there was such a big political factor behind this. After thinking about it carefully, he felt horrified and broke into a cold sweat.
Once they wipe out Yuan Shao immediately, and Liu Yu goes to Hejian to select the emperor's heir, let him raise him for a few more years, build up the new emperor's team, and then slowly weaken his military power, I am afraid that in the future, as the fourth brother said,
After the king returned to his country, he cut down the feudal vassals and knocked down all the power.
If the new emperor is kind, he may be lucky enough to die a good death. If he is a ruthless emperor like Emperor Wu, and he is sentenced to death by an edict in the end, like Han Xin, it may not be possible, but the end will be too miserable.
Chen Mu said to him seriously: "So brother, don't think that you are lucky to be the king of the vassal. This is a hot potato. It seems that there are more than ten thousand people, but you don't know that if you can't reach the top of power, your family will be destroyed with just a piece of edict."
Things. In the future, even if you feel that everything is going wrong in this place, you must remember to find a way to return to the court. If you don’t do this, our brothers may not be alive. Remember this!”
"I see."
Liu Bei nodded: "I'm afraid we must make preparations early."
"Um."
Chen Mu's face also remained solemn, but he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. These words were actually reminding Liu Bei to give up his illusions and prepare for a power struggle as soon as possible.
It can be regarded as an early vaccination. Once Liu Yu dies in the future, he will have to fight for power at all costs and prepare for the top.
Fortunately, he had made several preparations secretly. First, he sent people to Hejian to disrupt the genealogy of the feudal princes and clans in Hejian to delay time. Second, he sent people to Japan Island Country. There are several people there.
A hostage can be used.
You only need to persuade Liu Yu to give up the throne, and then you can stop the world's Youyou.
In fact, in this matter, the first thing is mainly important, which is to delay Liu Yu's selection of the emperor's heir, because once the emperor's heir is determined, Liu Yu may not necessarily agree to their conditions even if he is critically ill.
Therefore, when necessary, they had to eradicate the root cause and make up an excuse to say that the heirs of Emperor Zhang in Hejian died in the war, so that they could not find candidates.
certainly.
This is the last resort to break the relationship. Naturally, Chen Mu still hopes for a peaceful transition.
In this matter, he had to thank Dong Zhuo for his help.
Because in ancient times, household registration management mainly consisted of two items, one was household registration, and the other was clan genealogy.
The former is an official work, while the latter is a private compilation. In terms of authority, the former is naturally better.
However, for fear of making mistakes, at that time household registration and genealogy were often used to verify each other, in order to prove the existence of a certain person or the true identity of a certain person.
When necessary, the testimony of neighbors, relatives and acquaintances must be added.
At that time, the household registration was generally kept in the prefectural and county government offices, and the county's Hucao Shi was responsible for it. Therefore, when Emperor Xiaokang of the Han Dynasty sent people to Zhongshan State to check whether Chen Mu was a descendant of Chen Ping, he did not need to notify the county government office. He only needed to notify the county government office.
Just go to the Hucao department in the prefecture and county and check it out.
Even if you want to be more careful, you can go to the village and find the local villagers directly to prove it through the genealogy or the person's clansmen.
This is why the Puyin County Magistrate and the powerful Zhang family man at that time had no idea that Chen Mu had been valued by the emperor. When the emperor went to check Chen Mu's genealogy, there was no need to get into their hands.
The clan archives are different from ordinary people's archives. In addition to having a household registration and genealogy, the court also has a copy, which is commonly known as the clan disc. After the Tang Dynasty, it was called Yudie and was managed by the clan mansion. In the Han Dynasty, it was ordinary
The identity of the clan recorded on the bamboo slips was managed by Zong Zheng, one of the Nine Qings.
When Dong Zhuo burned Luoyang, he burned almost all of these things. Zongzheng and Liu Ai had been counting the clan dishes. But it was a pity that the world was in chaos. Many vassal princes and clans in various places had no time to take care of themselves. There were countless clans who died in the war, not to mention
Help the court repair the genealogy.
This means that the imperial court still does not have a complete genealogy of Emperor Zhang's descendants from the Hejian Kingdom. They can only wait until Hejian is recovered and go to Hejian to verify it again.
But after losing the royal family's ancestral certificate, I couldn't completely trust the local household registration and genealogy information when I went there.
After all, what if you fake it and pretend to be a clan member to become the emperor?
This kind of thing happened many times, including in the late Western Han Dynasty, a man named Wang Lang, who had the same name as Chen Mu's senior brother, once pretended to be the emperor's son Ziyu and proclaimed himself emperor in Handan.
So it is very troublesome to verify your identity.
In addition, Chen Mu sent people to Hejian to secretly destroy and destroy the household registration and clan information there. During the war, even the clan was displaced, and it was normal for many of the information to be incomplete.
It is estimated that if the imperial court wants to select an heir, it will take at least a year and a half just to check the household registration information, which is enough to buy Liu Bei time.
The carriage moved forward slowly, and it was a little bumpy when sitting down.
Chen Mu was walking in the car, thinking about the countless arrangements he had made. After making sure there were no mistakes or omissions, he looked into the distance with his deep eyes, a strange light shining in his eyes.