My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 596 Demotion of Nobility
Liu Rong found it difficult to comment on the nobles' behavior on the battlefield.

You might say they're cowardly, afraid of fighting, and just scout around stealing kills?

It does seem that way; it's somewhat unfair.

But to say that they are completely useless and only contribute to winning when ahead and losing when behind, doesn't seem to be entirely true.

—At least their presence can reduce some of the pressure on the Han army in certain specific situations.

In short, their existence means that a hundred soldiers cannot be regarded as a hundred soldiers, nor can they be used as a hundred soldiers.

However, in specific scenarios, these one hundred people can only play the role of a force of thirty to fifty men and shoulder the tactical responsibilities that thirty to fifty men can bear.

The core logic behind the nobles' actions is actually quite simple.

The titles of nobility in the Han dynasty were not actually hereditary and perpetual as most people in later generations have stereotyped.

To be precise, it is in principle hereditary and perpetual, sharing the fate of the nation;

Since it's in principle, it's bound to differ from reality.

The difference lies in the fact that noble titles, especially high-ranking titles such as Grand Master of Ceremonies and above, need to meet KPIs in order to be hereditary and perpetual, rather than decreasing in rank.

The KPI mentioned here refers to the contribution value provided to the central government of the Han Dynasty when the war broke out.

To give a very specific example.

When Emperor Gaozu established the Han dynasty, he enfeoffed 146 families of meritorious officials who were the founders of the dynasty, with a total fief of 200,000 households, which accounted for one-tenth of the total population and registered households of the Han people at that time!

Among these 146 meritorious marquises, those with large fiefs included Marquis Cao Can of Pingyang, Marquis Zhang Liang of Liu, and Marquis Xiao He of Zan, who were marquises with ten thousand households. Naturally, there were also entry-level meritorious marquises with fiefs of less than a thousand households, or even less than five hundred households.

Take these people as examples: as the founding fathers of the Han Dynasty and the first to be enfeoffed as marquises for military merit, the KPIs of these "marquises of one generation" were naturally completed with their merits and enfeoffment.

Their titles and fiefs were naturally passed down to their heirs, who became their respective second-generation marquises.

However, after the second-generation marquis inherited the title, in order to completely pass on the family's title and fief to his heir, who would be the third-generation marquis, these second-generation marquises had to achieve certain KPIs.

The KPIs here don't have a systematic framework or clear standards; they're basically based on the principle of "if the emperor says it's okay, it's okay; if the emperor says it's not okay, it's not okay."

For example, Cao Shen's son, Cao Zhu, the second Marquis of Pingyang, reigned for a total of 29 years from inheriting the title to his death. The only time he went to the battlefield was when he participated in the Lü Clan Rebellion.

However, when Marquis Pingyang Cao Zhu participated in the Lü Clan Rebellion, he was not in the camp of the feudal lords and ministers who were suppressing the rebellion, but rather in the 'rebellion camp' of the Lü clan's relatives.

That's good.

Before the outbreak of the Lü Clan Rebellion—more precisely, from the death of his father Cao Can and Cao Zhu's succession to the reign of Empress Lü, a period of nine years, the 'KPI' achieved by the second Marquis of Pingyang, Cao Zhu, was to be sufficiently obedient to Empress Lü. In her eyes, he had fulfilled the KPIs for his reign as Marquis.

If it weren't for the Lü Clan Rebellion, Cao Zhu could have easily flattered Empress Dowager Lü for those nine years, enough to ensure that the 10,630 households of the Pingyang Marquisate would have been passed down intact to his son, who would become the third-generation Marquis of Pingyang.

However, after the Lü Clan Rebellion broke out, and Cao Zhu participated in the rebellion as a "fellow member of the Lü Clan," this KPI naturally became irrelevant.

Judging solely from Cao Zhu's involvement in the Lü Clan Rebellion as a traitor, he should even have been stripped of his title and executed!

However, after Cao Zhu ascended the throne, Emperor Taizong, out of political considerations of "only punishing the crimes of the Lü clan and not discussing the faults of Empress Lü," also let Cao Zhu off lightly.

As a result, the lineage of the Marquis of Pingyang failed to meet its corresponding KPIs during the reign of the second Marquis, Cao Zhu.

When the Pingyang Marquisate was passed down to the third-generation Marquis Cao Qi, it was essentially in a "probationary" phase.

If the Pingyang Marquis family still fails to meet its KPIs during the reign of Cao Qi, the third Marquis, then even if the Pingyang Marquis family is not demoted to the Guannei Marquis, at least several thousand households of their fiefdom will be reduced.

Fortunately, Cao Qi, the third Marquis of Pingyang, inherited the title in the later years of Emperor Xiaowen of the Taizong Emperor, and shortly thereafter, he encountered the Xiongnu invasion of the border region.

Although the Xiongnu left after taking their loot, Cao Qi did not let the opportunity slip away—he personally paid out of his own pocket and led a group of people to deliver military rations to the border wall.

Strictly speaking, for the Pingyang Marquis family, whose fiefdom exceeded ten thousand households, simply sending supplies to the border was far from enough to achieve the KPI of 'avoiding the demotion of their noble rank'.

However, as mentioned above, whether this KPI was actually achieved was entirely up to the emperor to say.

Cao Qi, the third Marquis of Pingyang, had already adopted this attitude, and he died after only six years on the throne.
Just then, the Wu-Chu Rebellion broke out, and Marquis Pingyang Cao Qi happened to die around the time of the rebellion, so the late emperor did not investigate too deeply.

Crucially, at that time, the third Marquis Cao Qi was seriously ill and bedridden, and the Rebellion of the Seven States of Wu and Chu subsequently broke out.

The third Marquis Cao Qi had just submitted a memorial to the late emperor requesting that his heir, the current fourth Marquis Cao Shi, be allowed to lead the expedition to quell the rebellion in his place when he died of illness on his bed.

The third-generation marquis died, and his heir succeeded him as the fourth-generation marquis, while still observing the mourning period for his father.

Could the late emperor really allow Cao Shi, a fourth-generation marquis who was observing mourning for his father, to lead a hundred or so private soldiers from the Pingyang Marquis family to quell the rebellion?
Is it possible to strip the Marquis of Pingyang of his fiefdom simply because the Marquis of Pingyang died in front of me during a time of national crisis, in order to avoid going to war to quell the rebellion?

What made the late emperor most helpless was that, even though he was in mourning and had just inherited the title of Marquis of the fourth generation, Cao Shi, still organized a private army in a seemingly respectable manner and submitted a memorial requesting to lead an expedition to quell the rebellion.

What else could the late emperor say?

Naturally, he offered some encouragement and praise, then allowed the fourth Marquis to stay in Chang'an to observe mourning, and put the matter of the third Marquis Cao Qi's 'failure to meet KPIs' behind him.

As for the reign of the fourth Marquis Cao Shi, the Pingyang Marquis family became Liu Rong's maternal relatives through marriage.

During the Han-Xiongnu War, the Pingyang Marquis family had not yet become relatives of the emperor, so they naturally did not have the opportunity to participate.
However, in the battles of Hetao-Mayi and Gaoque, the Pingyang Marquis family gained enough military merits with Liu Rong's tacit approval or even support.

Although not many;

In the Hetao-Mayi Campaign alone, he forced the surrender of a small tribe of several dozen people on the Hetao battlefield, which was counted as 'taking dozens of people prisoner'. In the later stages of the Battle of Gaoque, he patrolled around the south side of Gaoque and rescued several Han soldiers who had fallen behind and were about to freeze to death.

But that's enough.

Even without the dual identity of being a "current wife's relative by marriage," the Pingyang Marquis family's KPIs during the reigns of these four generations of marquises can already be considered to have been achieved.

Perhaps the Pingyang Marquis family is somewhat special and not representative of the general population.

Now, let's talk about another family that is not so special, but is still quite well-known: the Marquis family.

—The family of Marquis Yingyin, Guan Ying. As a founding meritorious marquis, Guan Ying, who was as famous as Zhou Bo, Fan Kuai and other generals of the Fengpei faction, was undoubtedly one of the longest-lived.

Guan Ying was granted the title in the fifth year of Emperor Gaozu's reign (202 BC) and remained so until the fourth year of Emperor Xiaowen's reign (176 BC), when he passed away.

The second Marquis Guan A inherited the title and reigned for a full twenty-eight years until his death in the third year of Liu Rong's reign (148 BC).

During these twenty-eight years, the Second Marquis Guan A participated in almost every war fought by the Han dynasty.

For example, the rebellion of Liu Xingju, the Prince of Jibei, occurred in the fourth year of Emperor Taizong's reign;
In the fourteenth year of Emperor Taizong's reign, the army of Laoshang Chanyu marched south, with its vanguard pointing directly at Chang'an in a war of resistance against invasion.
The most well-known event was undoubtedly the Rebellion of the Seven States of Wu and Chu, which broke out in the third year of the reign of Emperor Xiaojing.

—In this battle, the Second Marquis of Yingyin, Guan A, was no longer leading his family's private army on a campaign under the guise of a "meritorious marquis going on an expedition." Instead, he was appointed as a general and placed under the command of Grand Commandant Zhou Yafu, accompanying the imperial army to quell the rebellion.

During this period, a famous event that will go down in history occurred.

The first Marquis of Yingyin, Guan Ying, had a retainer named Zhang Meng, who was highly regarded by Guan Ying and was repeatedly recommended by him, eventually rising to the rank of two thousand shi (a unit of grain).

In gratitude for the kindness shown to Guan Ying and the Guan family of Yingyin Marquis, Zhang Meng requested to change his surname to Guan and his name to Guan Meng.

Although the old Guan Meng was highly regarded by the former lord Guan Ying, he was not valued by the young lord, the second Marquis Guan A.

In Guan A's view, Guan Meng was far too old and could not be considered a brave and valiant general at all. He only knew how to rely on his age and talk about "how I am with Lord Lao Jun" and "how Lord Lao Jun treats me," which was extremely annoying.

Guan A still recommended Guan Meng, but only out of respect for his father, Guan Ying—to avoid his deceased father being tainted by the stain of 'misjudging people,' he continued to recommend Guan Meng.

When the Rebellion of the Seven States of Wu and Chu broke out, Guan A accompanied Grand Commandant Zhou Yafu on his expedition. He still had no choice but to recommend Guan Meng to Zhou Yafu as a colonel, and he himself led a colonel of soldiers.

However, Guan A's insincere words and forced manner when recommending him did not escape the eyes of old Guan Meng.

—Who is Guan Mengna?

A man of humble origins, a half-servant, yet recommended by the late Lord Guan Ying to become a high-ranking official with a salary of two thousand piculs of grain!

Not to mention someone who has spent decades navigating the complexities of officialdom, he must have been someone who had observed people's expressions and moods in the Yingyin Marquis's residence for at least several decades!

This old man, who was almost a genius, watched as the young master Guan A, whom he had watched grow up, treated him like dirt and had to reluctantly recommend him. How could Old Guan Meng not sense the danger?
Old Guan Meng was no ordinary man either. He felt that the young master was looking down on him, and he immediately became unhappy.

However, the way this 'unwillingness' was expressed was somewhat bizarre.

—Does the young master look down on this old man?

--it is good!

—This old man will show you, young master, how to chew up a few tough bones!
Thus, Guan Meng led his squadron across the Suiyang battlefield, specifically targeting large, difficult enemy forces.

The purpose was clearly to prove himself in front of the young master Guan A, so that he could stand up straight and ask Guan A: "Is it shameful for the young master to recommend me, an old man?"
I, this old man, have not disgraced the young master!
As expected, after countless precise targeting of the elite forces of the Wu-Chu rebels, the veteran general Guan Meng met his end on the battlefield.

Then, the climax of the story occurs.

According to Han law, in the same war, when a father and son, brothers or more people fought together, if one of them died in battle, the others could escort the coffin back to their hometown and thus withdraw from the battlefield.

For example, if there are four brothers in a family and one of them dies in battle, the other three can take the body of their brother home, retire from the military, and go back to hold the funeral.

Old Guan Meng had a son named Guan Fu.

Young Master Guan A recommended Old Guan Meng as a captain, and Young Guan Fu did not hesitate, directly mobilizing a thousand villagers and relatives to follow his father on the expedition.

When the old Guan Fu was trapped and died in the Wu-Chu rebel army's camp, the young Guan Fu, with Zhou Yafu's permission, escorted his father's coffin back to his hometown.

But Guan Fu passionately declared: "My father died on the battlefield. Rather than weeping and escorting his coffin back home, I would rather stay here, cut off the head of King Liu Bi of Wu, and avenge my father's death!"

Even if I cannot kill King Liu Bi of Wu with my own hands, I must at least kill one of the generals of the Wu army to comfort the spirit of my deceased father, Guan Meng!

At that time, the main force of the Wu-Chu rebels was at its peak, and Suiyang City was in imminent danger. King Liu Wu of Liang sent seven blood-written letters in one day to the court in Chang'an, accusing Zhou Yafu of "refusing to come to the rescue." Meanwhile, Zhou Yafu's troops were in Xiayi, where they were fortifying their defenses and clearing the fields, and their morale was low.

At such a critical juncture, the story of Guan Meng and his son Guan Fu, a father and son who fought side by side and whose sons died in battle, emerged. Grand Commandant Zhou Yafu did not miss the opportunity and immediately spread this typical case to all the Han soldiers in Xiayi.

Guan Fu became famous for this, but he didn't stop at just talking. The day after his father died in battle, he put on his armor, took up his halberd, and led more than ten followers out to rush straight for the Wu army's banner!

And you know what;
Guan Fu actually managed to make a name for himself!
Although he didn't manage to kill enemy generals and seize their flags like the Flying General Li Guang, he still managed to kill dozens of Wu-Chu rebels with his dozen or so personal soldiers.

However, all of the dozen or so soldiers that Guan Fu led out were killed in battle without exception, and Guan Fu himself was also seriously wounded in more than ten places, almost not recovering.

Now that his injuries have healed a little, instead of taking good care of himself, this fellow actually asked his superior again, saying: "Last time I didn't have much experience, which is why I didn't get a big harvest."

Having learned from the last experience, I have figured out Wu Jun's deployment, and I'm sure I'll reap great rewards this time!
This time, however, Shangguan did not let Guan Fu act recklessly. Instead, he asked Grand Commandant Zhou Yafu for instructions, citing Guan Fu's bravery and the fear that the country might lose a fierce general in another battle.

Zhou Yafu did not hesitate to issue an order regarding Guan Fu as a model soldier: Guan Fu was not allowed to participate in combat before the end of the war, and was to stay in Xiayi to recuperate from his wounded injuries.

Until the Wu-Chu Rebellion was quelled, the story of this place spread throughout the world, and Guan Fu's name became known throughout the north and south of the Yangtze River.

There is a very interesting detail in this story.

—The Second Marquis of Yingyin, Guan A, did not instinctively feel happy or proud of his retainers' valiant fighting. Instead, he was picky and disdainful of Guan Meng's old age!

What does this mean?
This means you have a choice!
This suggests that besides the gray-haired old general Guan Meng, his son Guan Fu, and the hotheaded Marquis of Yingyin, Guan A, there were many better options.

Well, the problem is coming.

As a meritorious marquis, you go to the battlefield to gain military merits and kills, just to avoid being demoted in rank and to retain your marquis title and fief.

Why risk your life?
Why are you being so picky?

There is only one reasonable explanation for this problem.

—Guan A has aspirations.

Guan A hoped to select better and more outstanding subordinate generals so as to gain greater benefits on the battlefield.

(End of this chapter)