Late Han Zhao Tang

"In ancient times, wise kings established laws and regulations, rewarding the meritorious and punishing the guilty. By adhering to this principle, the world was at peace. I rose from humble beginnings and relied on the efforts of my generals to quell the warlords, quell the chaos, and rule over both the Chinese and the barbarians. When it is time to reward those who have made contributions, the Grand General has achieved great merit in beheading Tadun in Liaodong, pacifying Youzhou in the north, conquering Wu and Chu in the south, and conquering the west. Therefore, I hereby bestow upon him the title of Duke of Dai, with a fief of 11,000 households, which shall be hereditary by his descendants."

"...General Huang Ju is among the veteran generals who followed me in conquering Guanzhong and Longxi, pacifying Hebei, rescuing Hanzhong, destroying Bashu, and defeating Wu and Chu. He has made unparalleled contributions. Now, he is granted the title of Duke of Jin, with a fief of 10,000 households, which will be inherited by his descendants."

"...The Privy Councilor Xu abandoned the chaos and returned to righteousness, with extraordinary strategies and tactics, quelled the chaos and revitalized the country... He made great contributions to pacifying the world. Now he is granted the title of Duke of Wuwei, with a fief of six thousand households."

"General Yun Changshan raised an army in rebellion. He was skilled in archery and horsemanship, protected me well, commanded the iron cavalry, defeated countless enemies, and made outstanding contributions. ... Now I hereby grant him the title of Duke of Changshan, with a fief of six thousand households."

"General Chu Zhongyuan joined the army, took charge of the battle, and led his troops without fear of arrows and stones... He is now granted the title of Duke of Pei, with a fief of 6,700 households."

Outside the city gate, Zhong Yao was greeted by Man Chong and all the civil and military officials. Guo Tu read out the imperial edict, bestowing great honors upon the civil and military generals who had returned from the southern expedition for their meritorious service.

Zhang Liao's fiefdom of 11,000 households was the highest among all noble titles, surpassing even Zhong Yao and Man Chong. Although it was only 1,000 households higher, the implication was more significant, suggesting that Zhang Liao was recognized as the foremost military general.

Subsequently, apart from Xu Huang being granted the title of Duke, the rest were all granted the titles of Duke of the Commandery or Duke of the County. Civil and military officials such as Jia Xu, Zhao Yun, Xu Chu, Meng Ningzhi, Sun Zi, Hao Zhao, and Cheng Pu belonged to the category of founding Dukes of the Commandery. Due to their different merits, their fiefs varied greatly, with differences of two to three thousand households. Generals and officers such as Ma Chao, Wen Pin, Qu Yi, Guo Huai, and Zhang Xiu, who had followed him for a short time or made relatively few contributions, were granted the title of Duke of the County.

Given Ma Chao and Guo Huai's age, their titles will inevitably be raised sooner or later, and they will not stop at county duke.

County Marquis was roughly a newly surrendered general or a rising star in the army, such as Zhang He, Huang Zu, Pang De, and Ma Dai. Township Marquis and Pavilion Marquis were of even lower rank, and their names included generals such as Guan Yu, Liu Yi, and Qiu Lang.

As for the generals Li Song and Gao Shun, who remained in Jing and Yangzhou, and the other generals, although they were far in the southeast, Zhang Yu still bestowed titles and rewards upon them. For example, Gao Shun, because he led troops under his command at the beginning of the uprising, was granted the title of Duke of Chenliu, with a fief of seven thousand households, ranking first below the Duke.

Li Song's achievements were somewhat weaker, but because he had commanded troops alone for many years and had experience in governing the four directions, he made meritorious contributions in this southern expedition to the southeast, capturing Shouchun and breaking Hefei. In addition, due to his relationship with Zhang Yu, Li Song became the one with the smallest fief among the dukes. He was the founding duke of Zhao State, with a fief of 8,880 households.

All the generals who participated in the southern expedition were rewarded with official titles and ranks, but Zhang Yu deliberately delayed the awarding of titles to the civil and military officials who had made contributions to the court, citing the surrender of Ping and Jiao prefectures as the reason. He planned to award titles at the end of the year.

"Your Majesty, I will serve you with utmost loyalty and devotion!"

Led by generals Zhang Liao and Xu Huang, the crowd paid their respects to Zhang Yuyuan in the palace.

"Gentlemen, please excuse the formalities. His Majesty has prepared a banquet in the palace to entertain meritorious generals and officers," Guo Tu said, seizing the opportunity.

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"

After some polite refusals, Man Chong and Zhong Yao accompanied Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, and other generals to go ahead. Among them, Liu Bei and his two brothers mingled in the crowd, looking at the scene in Chang'an with great surprise.

"Ten years ago, when you and I conquered Chang'an, the population was not as prosperous as it is now. The people were dressed in rags, the markets were deserted and there were no merchants. Women and children dared not show their faces. But now, the markets are prosperous, people are shoulder to shoulder, and the streets and houses are in good order. All the fertile fields along the way have their owners, the grains are growing, and there are no abandoned fields."

Looking at the vibrant Chang'an, Liu Bei was filled with emotion and made the following comments.

Ten years ago, he followed Zhang Yu to defeat the remnants of Dong Zhuo. At that time, Guanzhong suffered from Dong Zhuo's exploitation and the looting by Guo Jing and Li Zicheng. Although there was a population in Guanzhong, the countryside was in ruins and the people suffered greatly.

Now, ten years later, Liu Bei sees the picture of a well-governed world. Although the people are still not wealthy, there is a hidden vitality within them.

"I wonder what Zhuojun is like?"

Zhang Fei, longing for his hometown, said, "I have heard that the Tang emperor dredged the waterways and diverted water to connect Hebei, naming it the Huitong Canal, to bring goods from Hebei to the Central Plains. Now one can travel by boat from Hedong to Zhuojun, something I had never heard of before!"

Liu Bei looked melancholy. He had been away from his hometown for more than ten years and wondered if his fellow villagers and relatives were still alive.

Guan Yu said, "The Tang Emperor's grand strategy lies in connecting the north and south. If the canals in the southeast and north of the Huai River can be opened up, one can travel from Jinling to Zhuoxian by waterway. The waterway from north to south is five or six thousand li long, and it would take less than a month to travel by boat. This is quite fast and truly a beneficial move for the country!"

Although China is often described as a continental country, from a practical perspective, it is by no means a continental country, but rather a country with both land and sea characteristics. In other words, the ancient Chinese civilization was based on rivers and was therefore greatly influenced by them.

River-based civilizations possess both land and sea power, and therefore cannot be evaluated from a single perspective. Thus, the focus of successive dynasties was on improving transportation accessibility.

For example, the Western Han Dynasty attempted to dredge the Bao River to connect Guanzhong with Bashu, aiming to merge the Bao River with the Han River. The Tang Dynasty, seeking to facilitate communication with Jingzhou, attempted to excavate the Dan River. Although both attempts failed, they demonstrate that the Chinese people have an innate passion for waterway construction.

Therefore, even though Liu Bei and his two brothers did not fully approve of the Tang Dynasty, they had to admit that the Huitong Canal was a policy that benefited the country and its people.

Zhang Fei looked at Guan Yu and said with a smile, "I have heard that Hedong was greatly governed by the Tang Dynasty and is the most prosperous county in the Central Plains. Salt is transported by cartload every day, and the people are rich because of this. Second brother, your family has been growing dates for generations. If you make a living from this, you will surely become very rich."

Hedong was not only a major grain and salt producing prefecture, but also a major jujube producing prefecture, whose jujubes were world-renowned. "Let's see what you think, brother. I'll follow your lead!" Guan Yu said.

"Let us first pay our respects to the Tang Emperor!"

Led by attendants, dozens of civil and military officials walked into the hall and took their seats according to their rank. After a while, Zhang Yu and Wang Ji arrived in the hall to meet with the civil and military officials.

"You've all had a hard time on the southern expedition, let me offer you all a toast!" Zhang Yu raised his wine cup to everyone and said with a smile.

"We have done our best for Your Majesty, how dare we complain of hardship?" Zhang Liao and Xu Huang led the group and said, "Our victory over the enemy is thanks to Your Majesty's command."

Zhang Yu sat on the couch and said, "I have been raising an army for more than ten years and finally pacified the four directions. From now on, the world will be at peace, and you and I will share wealth and honor."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu looked at Zhang Liao and said with a smile, "I and you were acquainted when we were commoners. Could you have imagined the honor we would receive today?"

Zhang Liao stood up and replied, "A messenger's job is so precarious, how could I possibly dream of achieving lasting fame in history!"

"Where is Gongming?"

"I humbled myself to serve the rebels, but Your Majesty did not abandon me, allowing me to join the army as a commoner. As for the title of Duke, which would bring glory to my ancestors and be passed down to my descendants, how dare I even dream of it!" Xu Huang replied.

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "When Emperor Gaozu established his capital in Chang'an, he held a grand banquet for the civil and military officials who founded the dynasty. You and I, as his subjects, know about the affairs of the former Han emperor and his ministers at that time!"

"Ha ha!"

Upon hearing this, both civil and military officials burst into laughter, as if they were experiencing the same feeling as the emperor and his ministers of the Western Han Dynasty four hundred years ago.

"Your Majesty rose up in Dai, unified the world, and sought supremacy over the four seas. Your achievements are comparable to those of Emperor Gaozu." Sun Zi flattered, "However, Your Majesty is only a little over thirty years old, while Emperor Gaozu was forty-seven when he raised his army. Therefore, Your Majesty should be the greatest in history!"

Although Zhang Yu was pleased, he remained humble and said, "Emperor Gaozu was no ordinary ruler. He was able to achieve great things at the age of forty-seven. His perseverance and determination are beyond what ordinary people can possess."

"Your Majesty is no ordinary ruler. To be able to raise an army at the age of eighteen shows your extraordinary talent. It is a gift from Heaven!" Guo Tu flattered.

Zhang Yu said, "One person's talent and strategy are limited; without you gentlemen, how could I have my empire?"

As he spoke, Zhang Yu called to Guo Tu and said, "As a minister of the cabinet, you should now compile a list of meritorious officials and have twenty-eight portraits painted in the Zixun Pavilion to be passed down to future generations."

"Yes, sir!" Guo Tu replied, accepting the order.

All the officials took turns toasting Zhang Yu, and now it was Liu Bei's turn.

"Your Majesty, I, a sinner, pay my respects and thank you for pardoning my crime of resisting!" Liu Bei said respectfully.

Zhang Yu, in a casual, conversational manner, put Liu Bei at ease, saying, "I haven't seen Xuande for ten years, and we've become quite estranged!"

"Cao Cao imprisoned Xuande in Jiangdong, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei assisted me in attacking Cao Cao. I should thank my two younger brothers, Xuande!"

"Your Majesty flatters me!"

Liu Bei remained cautious and said, "Your Majesty possesses a navy unlike any in history. It would be easy for you to go straight down the river to subdue the rebels. Moreover, Your Majesty has many brave generals under your command, such as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei."

Seeing that Liu Bei was unwilling to talk more, Zhang Yu asked, "What does Xuande want?"

Liu Bei pondered for a long time before saying, "I have been away from my hometown for more than ten years and find it hard to part with my feelings for my homeland. I hope Your Majesty will prepare to return home, cultivate the fields, and live a peaceful life. I also hope Your Majesty will pardon my wife's exile. I will be eternally grateful!"

Zhang Yu took a sip of wine and said, "Xuande has previously served me in defeating the rebels, so I will grant your request."

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"

Liu Bei understood that if he used up his only chance to ask for help, then he would have no more past favors or friendships with Zhang Yu!
P.S.: There will be another chapter tonight. (End of this chapter)