The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 498 Auspicious Omens Flying All Over the Sky

Qin Shou looked at his son with satisfaction, his eyes showing relief. He looked up into the distance, and in the night he could vaguely see the lights of thousands of houses in Wu County, and a sense of pride suddenly rose in his heart.

"Come on, follow me to the study. Your father has something to tell you." Qin Shou turned and walked towards the bedroom.

The father and son came to the study. Qin Shou took out a scroll of bamboo slips from the table and handed it to Qin Chengqian: "This is the 'Edict of Conferring Nobility' drafted for father. Take a look."

Qin Chengqian took it respectfully and read it carefully by candlelight. The bamboo slips recorded in detail the rank of the title, the size of the fiefdom, and the corresponding rights and obligations. He noticed that it particularly emphasized that the fiefdoms were not allowed to expand their armies privately and had to accept supervision from officials sent by the court.

"Father, this power of supervision..." Qin Chengqian asked, pointing at one of them.

Qin Shou stroked his beard and smiled, "This is the key. Although fiefdoms are granted to meritorious officials, the military and political power is still firmly in the hands of the court. The lords of fiefdoms in various places must pay tribute on time and accept the court's dispatch. If there is any unusual movement, the title will be immediately revoked and the land will be taken away."

Qin Chengqian suddenly realized: "This way, we can both motivate the soldiers and prevent them from becoming too powerful to be eliminated."

"That's right." Qin Shou nodded, "In addition, your father is also planning to establish the 'Enfeoffment Order'."

"The Enfeoffment Order?" Qin Chengqian looked puzzled.

Qin Shou explained: "This has been implemented since the Former Han Dynasty. Titles are hereditary, but fiefs are not. The descendants of each lord can inherit the title, but the fief must be divided equally. In this way, within three generations, the large fief will become countless small fiefs and will no longer pose a threat."

Qin Chengqian's eyes sparkled: "This is a brilliant plan! It not only saves the dignity of the meritorious officials, but also ensures the stability of the country."

Qin Shou looked at his son with relief: "I'm glad you understand your father's painstaking efforts. Remember, governing a country is like playing chess, you have to think ten steps ahead before you take one step."

The next day, news came from Liaodong that Gongsun Kang had led his army to attack Goguryeo, destroyed its capital, and burned its villages. Xu Huang requested to attack Liaodong and eliminate Gongsun Kang.

"Gongsun Kang knows how to pick the right time. He knows that I want to unify the world and have no time to worry about the other party, so he raised troops to conquer the east and the west. I heard that he was in Liaodong with the emperor's ceremonial guard. This kid wants to follow the example of the old deeds of the King of Yan and set up his own power in Liaodong while my Central Plains is unsettled." Qin Shou sneered and his fingertips ran across the Liao River.

"Your Majesty, I would like to lead the army to conquer Liaodong." Zhou Yu suddenly said.

"I am also willing to go." The speaker was Lu Xun.

It can be seen that Qin Shou's policy of dividing the land and granting territory finally took effect. Both Zhou Yu and Lu Xun wanted to become nobles of the new dynasty and obtain more land.

"Gongjin and Boyan both have this intention, which is great." He slowly stood up and walked to the hanging map, "However, Liaodong is a bitter and cold place, and Gongsun Kang has been managing it for many years, so this battle is no small matter."

The candlelight in the study flickered, reflecting on Qin Shou's sharp face. He suddenly turned around, his eyes were sharp, "I have decided that Zhou Yu will be the commander of the left army, and Lu Xun will be the deputy, leading 50,000 troops from Qingzhou and Xuzhou to attack Liaodong. I will also transfer Xu Huang's troops to be the commander of the right army, and they will set off in three days."

Zhou Yu knelt on one knee and said: "I will definitely live up to your trust, Your Majesty!"

Lu Xun also immediately saluted and said: "I will do my best to help General Zhou achieve success."

Qin Shou nodded with satisfaction and took out a tiger talisman from the table: "If you can pacify Liaodong in this battle, I will reward you with a title of nobility." He handed the tiger talisman to Zhou Yu solemnly, "Remember, Gongsun Kang is a cunning man, so be careful when dealing with him."

The reason why Zhou Yu and Lu Xun were asked to lead the army was, on the one hand, because they had the talent to be the main generals of the army, and on the other hand, it was also to buy horse bones with a huge amount of gold, so that everyone in the world would know Qin Shou's great talent and strategy. As long as you have the ability, you can be used by the court and get rich rewards.

"I will obey my orders."

Zhou Yu and Lu Xun were very happy.

Three days later, the army swore an oath outside Wu County. Banners fluttered, armors were bright. Qin Shou personally poured wine for the soldiers to cheer them on. The scene was solemn and warm.

The morale of the entire army was high. After all, the effect of the title-conferring order was very powerful. Land, money, titles, etc. attracted the attention of these people. They were eager to rush to Liaodong immediately to make achievements for the new dynasty.

On the third day after seeing off Zhou Yu's army, a rare solar shower fell in Wu County. Qin Shou stood under the eaves of the palace, watching the golden rain threads passing through the sunlight and falling into Taihu Lake, with countless dazzling golden spots on the water surface. The attendant holding a green bamboo umbrella wanted to step forward, but he waved him away.

"Your Majesty, an urgent report from Kuaiji County, eight hundred miles away!" Qin Chengqian came hurriedly on the water, the silk book in his hand was sealed with vermilion lacquer.

Qin Shou unfolded the silk book, and his frown gradually relaxed. The governor of Kuaiji reported that fishermen in the East China Sea had caught a pearl with a diameter of one inch, and on it was a naturally formed pattern of the word "Shou". What was even more amazing was that this pearl could emit light in a dark room, illuminating the whole room.

"The East Sea presents a pearl." Qin Shou's fingertips stroked the bright red official seal on the silk book, "Let the historian record it in the Auspicious Records."

Before he finished speaking, another guard came to report: "The governor of Langya County sent people to offer treasures!" Four strong men came in carrying an object covered with red silk. When they uncovered it, it turned out to be a strange red stone. The two words "Qin Xing" were naturally formed on the stone, and the strokes were as clear as if carved with a knife.

Qin Chengqian suddenly pointed to the sky: "Father, look!"

When the rain stopped and the clouds cleared, a rainbow of seven colors stretched across the sky, and below it a group of wild geese formed a V-shape and flew northward.

The Grand Historian had already knelt down at the steps without knowing when, his white hair fluttering in the wind: "It is said in the Luoshu that when a rainbow penetrates the sun, the Holy Lord will appear!"

Qin Shou looked calm when he saw this. If nothing unexpected happened, there would be more auspicious signs on his way back to Chang'an. But they were basically man-made.

Sure enough, when the carriage had just set off, a scout brought news that purple air was rising from the top of Mount Tai and condensed into the shapes of a dragon and a tiger!

At night, the emperor stopped at Guangling, and suddenly countless glowing fish appeared on the river, turning the entire river into a flowing Milky Way. The night watchman claimed to have seen a golden dragon reaching out from the clouds to drink water, and the people of the city were so frightened that they burned incense and kowtowed to the river.

The most bizarre thing was that one night, there were meteor showers over the military camp, but none of them fell to the ground. Instead, they formed the shape of the Big Dipper in the clouds. The Taoist priests accompanying the army said that this was a sign that the Purple Star had shifted.

In a word, these auspicious omens all indicate that the Han Dynasty has lost its orthodox position, and only Qin Shou truly possesses the Mandate of Heaven.

This approach was very effective in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. The whole world was proclaiming Qin Shou's great achievements and saying that Emperor Liu Xie of Han was no longer capable of controlling the world. County governors and county magistrates from all over the country wrote letters to the emperor, respectfully requesting Qin Shou to ascend the throne and become emperor.

By the time Qin Shou arrived in Luoyang, Emperor Liu Xie of Han had been waiting there for a long time in order to save his own life.

(End of this chapter)