Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 338 4049 AD

Hearing Wang Guangyang's doubts, Lu Jin nodded immediately.

"Yes, it has been about 4,000 years. We use the Yanhuang calendar as the era name to remind people all over the world that our ancestors stood here thousands of years ago. Our history is brilliant and glorious. What kind of shit are the Tartars? Are they worthy of ruling China and letting us, the Yanhuang nobles, work like slaves for them?"

Wang Guangyang frowned when he heard this. Lu Jin intended to use the Yellow Emperor's reign title to emphasize that the north and the south were originally of the same ethnic group, in order to bridge the hundreds of years of rift between the north and the south. This original intention was good, but he added, "But there is no precedent for this."

This time, without waiting for Lu Jin to speak, the young scholar named Sun Yan stepped out and spoke.

"I think it's OK to use the Yellow Emperor's reign title, but what's the precedent? The first reign title in the world, Jianyuan, was created by Emperor Wu of Han. Were there reign titles thousands of years before Emperor Wu of Han? Are there precedents? No!

"Since Emperor Wu of Han was the first to create an era name, why should people today change it?
"What's more, if we want to completely follow the 'established precedents', there are some examples in all dynasties that did not follow the established precedents. For example, before the Former Song Dynasty, all the reign titles were two-character ones, but the Former Song Dynasty itself used four-character reign titles such as Taiping Xingguo, Dazhong Xiangfu, and Jianzhong Jingguo. What do you say about that?
"Before the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, there was no precedent for the repeated use of the same era name in all dynasties. However, the current Yuan Dynasty has used the Zhiyuan era name twice. Is there any precedent for this?"

Well, the era names were originally decided by humans, and since they were decided by humans, they can of course be changed by humans. If you really want to be picky, you can point out a lot of people who don't follow the "rules", so there is no such thing as an established precedent.

Wang Guangyang could not refute this, but he still frowned and said, "But even if we really want to use it, the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors is too long ago. Even the historical records of Sima Qian are vague. It will take a lot of effort to verify the year when Huangdi ascended the throne, and it will probably be difficult for people all over the world to agree."

However, Lu Jin suddenly said, "No need to verify. I, Gongshu, have always known the chronology of Emperor Xuanyuan Huangdi. If someone really wants to verify it, there are books to check. Although Sima Qian did not delve into the history of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, it does not mean that others have not written about it. Dingbang, bring the book."

Li Dingbang, a personal soldier outside the door, immediately came in holding two yellowed old books. Lu Jin took them and introduced them to everyone.

"This book, The History of Emperors, is the second systematic history book in China to record the emperors of all dynasties after Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian. Although this book does not have the chronicles and biographies, it focuses on recording the historical heritage of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors period, and the lineages of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors have been verified.

"The book starts from the Three Sovereigns, Taihao Emperor Fuxi, Yan Emperor Shennong, and Huang Emperor Xuanyuan, to the Five Emperors, Shaohao Emperor Qingyang, Zhuanxu Emperor Gaoyang, Ku Emperor Gaoxin, Yao Emperor Taotang, and Shun Emperor Yao Yu, then to the Xia Dynasty of King Yu, the Shang Dynasty of Cheng Tang, the Zhou Dynasty of King Wu Jifa, all the way to the Qin and Han dynasties, and finally to the Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period.

"I think you have guessed it. This book was written during the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. The author is Huangfu Mi, the great-grandson of Huangfu Song, a famous general of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He is good at writing history books and was also a famous doctor in the late Han Dynasty. This book is only 300 years later than Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian. It is relatively reliable and well-documented. You can pass it around for a read."

Lu Jin handed the book over, and everyone immediately gathered together to look through it. They were all surprised. They did not expect that the part about the lineage of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors was so detailed. Moreover, they had hardly heard of this book and did not know where Lu Jin found it.

It seems that this general has wanted to use the Yellow Emperor's reign title for a long time and has made sufficient preparations.

"There is also this book, Huangji Jingshi, which is a hexagram book written by Shao Yong, who was known as one of the Five Masters of the Northern Song Dynasty along with Zhang Zai, Zhang Hengqu and the two Cheng brothers. This book was as famous as Sima Guang's Zizhi Tongjian at the time. The book has 12 volumes in total. The first six volumes, "Yuanhui Yunshi", have chapters, using hexagrams to deduce the chronology of the emperors who ascended the throne over years before the founding of the Song Dynasty.

"With these two books, anyone who doesn't mind the trouble can do the research themselves."

Wow, a genealogy of the emperors of all dynasties, and a chronology of the emperors' accession to the throne, all complete. You want to research, right? If you don't mind the trouble, just look it up yourself.

Although the reign titles were constantly changing in ancient times, the Chinese heavenly stems and earthly branches were used throughout the dynasties. A cycle of sixty years was implemented without deception and was fair to everyone. If you wanted to calculate it, you could always figure it out by slowly working backwards.

When everyone saw this, they thought there was no point in verifying it. Since Lu Jin had been prepared for this, he must have figured it out long ago.

Qin Conglong, who was sitting below, stroked his beard and asked curiously, "I have never researched how many years it has been since Emperor Xuanyuan ascended the throne. Since the Marshal has already figured it out, just announce it directly. If anyone really wants to verify it, let them look it up in the book themselves."

Lu Jin nodded and said, "According to many historical records, Emperor Xuanyuan ascended the throne at the age of 4049, which is 4050 years ago. It is now the end of October this year, which means that in two months, it will be next year."

How did Lu Jin know about the Yellow Emperor's calendar? In fact, it is related to the aerospace projects of their school. China's aerospace projects often use things from ancient mythology to name their spacecraft, such as the Mars rover 'Zhurong' and China's first solar observation test satellite 'Xihe', which are named after the sun goddess in Chinese mythology.

Lu Jin also studied ancient myths and history. When he was working on the manned lunar rover, he proposed to name it "Wangshu", but it was not accepted in the end. The name of that thing was collected from all over the country.
In fact, the Yellow Emperor's calendar had already been calculated by later generations. A simple way to record it is to add 2697 years to the Western calendar, which is equal to the Yellow Emperor's calendar. The way to verify it is the two books that Lu Jin mentioned just now. He still remembered the names of the two books, so he asked people to look for them all over the city, and he actually found it from a bookseller.

As for how to determine the Western calendar corresponding to the end of the Yuan Dynasty? If Lu Jin traveled to another dynasty, it would be difficult to determine, but at this time in history, the two civilizations of the East and the West simultaneously broke out major events that were enough to change the course of history, so it is easier to remember.

In China, the Red Turban Rebellion broke out and the Ming Dynasty was established. At the same time, the Black Death broke out in the West. After the disaster, the Renaissance began. This was a major historical turning point for both sides.

The Gregorian calendar corresponding to the end of the Yuan Dynasty is 1350, which is the tenth year of Zhizheng. Now it is the twelfth year of Zhizheng, which is 1352 in the Gregorian calendar. If we add 2697, we can get that the Yellow Emperor calendar is 4049.

"I didn't expect it to be more than four thousand years."

Just as everyone heard this number and couldn't help but sigh in emotion, the old man Qin Conglong raised another question.

"Now that we have a clear year, the only thing left is the reign title. Emperor Huangdi did not have a reign title during his reign. If we use the Huangdi calendar instead, what specific reign title should we use?"

The person who stepped out in response this time was Qian Yongren, who bowed to Lu Jin and said, "The first reign title in the world was created by Emperor Wu of Han, named Jianyuan, which means to establish a foundation, but it was also Emperor Huangdi who first created the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, and since then China has had a calendar.

"It stands to reason that the reign title Jianyuan should be used in the Yellow Emperor's calendar. However, since it has already been used by the Han Dynasty, in order to prevent confusion with the Han Dynasty's Jianyuan, I personally think that we can use Kaiyuan, which means to create a foundation. It is reasonable to use it for the Yellow Emperor, who first created the Chinese zodiac."

Everyone present praised immediately upon hearing this.

"Kaiyuan is good. It is simple yet true. It is about pioneering and building a foundation. It is suitable for Xuanyuan, the first ancestor of Chinese culture who founded the foundation of China for thousands of years."

However, Lu Jin seemed dissatisfied and asked directly, "Do you have any other opinions?"

Everyone was stunned when they heard this, not understanding why Lu Jin was still not satisfied. Sun Yan from Jurong thought about it and stepped out again to speak. "I think the Marshal used the Xuanyuan era name for three reasons. First, it was to bridge the hearts of the people in the north and south, to let the northern Han people who have been influenced by the barbarian customs recognize their ancestors and emphasize that the north and the south share the same ancestor and are actually brothers;

"Secondly, it is to awaken the people of the world. We have our own ancestors and our history is brilliant and glorious. This move can not only strike a blow to the Mongols, who are just barbarians from the frontier who have gained power for the first time, but also awaken more people to rise up against the Yuan Dynasty, which is beneficial to the anti-Yuan cause.

"The three can be used to emphasize orthodoxy. Now that the Yuan Dynasty is about to end, the world is falling apart. Anti-Yuan righteous armies and powerful bandits have risen up together. There are countless people with thousands of soldiers occupying the countryside. There are also three families with more than 100,000 soldiers who have conquered states and provinces: Xu Shouhui of Jinghu, Liu Futong of the Central Plains, and the Marshal of Jianghuai.

"It's fine that the three families are all against the Yuan Dynasty now, but in the future, when the Yuan Dynasty is destroyed and the three families compete for the Central Plains, who can represent the orthodoxy of China?
"Is it Xu Shouhui who worshipped Maitreya in the west, changed the Secretariat into Lotus Province, and usurped the throne of the emperor? Or is it Liu Futong who calls himself the Mingwang, deceives himself into thinking he is invulnerable when he goes out, and holds the White Lotus Demon Scripture in his hands when he goes in?
"I think that neither of them is legitimate. Only the commander-in-chief who comforts the people, punishes the criminals, establishes the principles and rules, follows the Confucian scholars, opens the imperial examinations, and uses the Xuanyuan calendar is legitimate. The commander-in-chief only needs to announce this reign title to the world, and he will be three points better than the other two. The knowledgeable people, the powerful and the righteous people in the world will know who to turn to. This is a plan that kills three birds with one stone!

"Since it is to emphasize the orthodoxy of China, why not make the reign title a little more grand? The Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches calendar of Emperor Huangdi is a universal calendar. All land under heaven belongs to the king, and all people are his subjects. All people in the world, Chinese or foreign, use this calendar. This is the calendar for the world. What is the world? The way of the great way is that the world is for all!
"Kaiyuan means pioneering and founding, but since we don't plan to change it in the future, what's the point of emphasizing pioneering and founding? In my opinion, it's better to just call it Gongyuan, which will never change!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present looked at each other in confusion. After Sun Yan's reminder, they also thought of something.

Once this reign title is promulgated throughout the country, the Tartars, Xu Shouhui and Liu Futong will be in trouble. There is no need to say more about the Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty. The Chinese and the barbarians cannot coexist. Just take Xu Shouhui and Liu Futong as an example. Do you want to use this reign title of the Common Era? If you don't use it, it will seem that you are not as orthodox as me, and if you use it, isn't it surrendering to me directly?

Tsk, Lu Jin’s move was truly brilliant. He directly seized the commanding heights of Chinese orthodoxy with just a reign title.

Xu Shouhui and Liu Futong had a hard time finding a later calendar, because Huangdi was the founder of the calendar, and there was no calendar earlier than that.
Looking at the reactions of the people in the hall, Lu Jin couldn't help but laugh and said, "Of all the gentlemen in the hall, only Sun Borong knows me."

Sun Yan quickly bowed and said he dared not.

Lu Jin made the decision directly, "The word Gongyuan suits my taste very well, so let's use it. From now on, all the era names in the Shengwu Army will be changed to Gongyuan, Dagong!"

Lu Jin called out, and a figure suddenly appeared at the back door of the central hall. It was Bao Yu, who was in charge of the Intelligence Bureau. After entering the room, he immediately bowed and said, "I am here."

"I have the year number you asked about a few days ago. It's 4049 AD. Do you know what to do?"

"I understand."

"It's fast, it's on time, you know what to do, go ahead."

"Yes."

Bao Yu then retreated out the back door and looked at the emperor and his minister playing a guessing game. No one knew what they were talking about.

Qin Conglong stroked his beard and suddenly thought of something and asked, "General, when other dynasties change their reign titles, they only need to change the calendar to the future, but we use the Gregorian calendar, so don't we have to change all the previous books? Should we revise the history books of all dynasties and change them all to the Gregorian calendar?"

Lu Jin waved his hand. "How is that possible? It would take a lot of time, manpower, and money. I won't hold you accountable for the past, but if you reprint it in the future, you must add the AD year to the book. For example, if you compile the history of Yuan Dynasty in the future, this year should be recorded as 4049 AD, the twelfth year of Zhizheng."

"So that's how it is. Then I understand." Qin Conglong said with a bow.

Lu Jin then continued, "Now that we have concluded the matter of bridging the gap between the north and the south and letting the northerners recognize their ancestors, let's talk about my third question. In terms of the strategy for governing the country, should we have a big government with more involvement, or a small government with less intervention? Which one can help restore the country's vitality as soon as possible and allow the people to live and work in peace? Can anyone give me some advice?"

As soon as the third question was asked, those who had already got the job stopped talking. You can't take all the opportunities by yourself, otherwise you will offend people.

So Wang Guangyang, who had never officially published any political commentary, stood up.

"My name is Wang Guangyang, courtesy name Chaozong, from Gaoyou, Jiangbei. I currently live in Dangtu. I would like to say a few words to the commander-in-chief."

"Mr. Wang, please speak."

Wang Guangyang then said, "I think that the Marshal does not need to worry about the difference between large and small governments. Not everything has to be compared. We Confucians also have the doctrine of the mean. What is the doctrine of the mean? It means being impartial, neither too much nor too little.

"In governing a country, we must be fair and peaceful, adapting to the times, the situation, the circumstances and the place. We should act swiftly when necessary and slow down when necessary. If the enemy has already reached our doorstep, what is the point of governing by inaction? Should we just sit there and wait for death?
"Mr. Zhou just said that city building and water conservancy are the top priorities right now, so they should be done urgently. Even if the people have some complaints, we should persist in doing so as long as we can restore people's livelihood as soon as possible. We should delay large-scale construction of government offices and palaces. It will not be too late to do these things after the people have rested and the country has recovered.

"In today's world, the tyranny of the Yuan court harms the people, wars continue in all directions, and some cities have been repeatedly fought over and changed flags. Nine out of ten houses are empty, and the people are displaced. There is a saying among the people that it is better to be a dog in peacetime than a man in troubled times. Now is a troubled time, and the people only want stability. People want peace and stability.

"Therefore, the most urgent task is to pacify the four directions as soon as possible. As long as the people can live in peace, the people will naturally return to their hearts. This is urgent politics. There is nothing wrong with a large government. When the world is pacified and the world is governed, we can slow down the politics and give the people a rest. This is the golden mean."

Everyone present nodded in agreement, while Lu Jin seemed to be thinking about something. Although Wang Guangyang's theory was very different from the performance evaluation method he had in mind, which used the KPI evaluation system to force officials to work hard, you had to admit that perhaps Wang Guangyang's political philosophy was more appropriate. He should slow down when necessary and rush things when necessary, and advocated a pragmatic approach. It was indeed a mature and prudent statement for the country, and he was worthy of being the prime minister.

Lu Jin slapped his thigh and said, "This is very good. Your remarks really enlightened me. It is still true that you should act according to the time, place, event and situation. You should act when you should act quickly and slow down when you should slow down. It is the big government that I have been thinking about that has issued too many policies and made some mistakes and acted rashly."

Wang Guangyang immediately bowed and said, "King Xuan of Qi asked Mencius why he was king. Mencius said that seeing the people alive, he could not bear to see them die; hearing their voices, he could not bear to eat their meat. That is why a gentleman stays away from the kitchen and returns. A gentleman is kind. The commander-in-chief cares about the people and cannot bear to see them suffer. He wants to restore people's livelihood as soon as possible and let them live and work in peace. This is the heart of a benevolent person and the thinking of the king. What's wrong with that? You must know that the benevolent are invincible. Since the commander-in-chief cares about the people of the world, as long as he is firm and not arrogant or discouraged, why should he worry about the unrest in the world and the people's unrest?"

Lu Jin immediately stood up and helped him up, praising him, "Mr. Chaozong is really talented. Would you like to join the Secretariat as my staff consultant for advice?"

Wang Guangyang also hurriedly said, "How can I abandon my benevolent king in front of me? I am willing to serve you, share your worries and solve your problems, and help you achieve your goal of becoming king soon."

(End of this chapter)