Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 117: I, the Crown Prince, the General of Heavenly Strategy, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armies at Home and Abroad, enter the palace with sword and shoes, and do not bow

No, reward me with the title of crown prince?

Even though Liu Bian felt that there was nothing in this era that could shock him, the proposal put forward by Yang Ci still shocked him again.

Is this proposal too absurd?
Liu Bian frowned slightly, pursed his lips, and slowly swept his eyes across the court. He saw that all the officials were either whispering to each other or looking astonished. It was obvious that all the officials also found it absurd.

Therefore, even though everyone felt it was absurd, no one stood up to question or oppose it.

But the key point is that the person who made this proposal was Taiwei Yang Ci. Since he was a gentleman and a wise man, he would definitely not make such a proposal that sounded completely brainless just to flatter the prince.

Everyone started to doubt themselves at once, so even though everyone thought it was ridiculous, no one stood up to question or object.

Seeing the Crown Prince's inquiring gaze, Yang Ci nodded slightly, a gentle smile appearing on his face, as if to reassure the Crown Prince. He then leaned forward and said, "This old minister believes that the Emperor can confer upon the Crown Prince the title of 'Supreme General', commanding the armies both inside and outside China, and granting him the right to wear a sword and shoes into the palace, and not to bow when entering the court, just as was the case with the Marquis of Yongwen!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bian's originally furrowed brows instantly relaxed, and he suddenly realized.

When it comes to the powerful official suit, he naturally understands Yang Ci's intention.

Although he was the Crown Prince Regent at the moment, he already had the power to command the Chinese and foreign armies both in name and in reality. However, this power was not originally inherent to the Crown Prince, but a temporary power granted to him.

Yang Ci wanted to help him turn this power from temporary to permanent, but the identity of a prince alone was not enough, so he recalled the questions that the emperor had asked him before the prince came to power last year.

Yang Ci was the emperor's teacher. The emperor had always trusted Yang Ci and often asked him for advice. He once revealed to him that he wanted to disband the five schools of the Northern Army, reorganize and expand them, and use Xiyuan as the camp, calling it the "Eight Schools of Xiyuan."

This was not surprising. What surprised Yang Ci the most was that the emperor actually planned to proclaim himself the "Supreme General". Not only did he want to directly become the commander-in-chief of the eight schools in Xiyuan, but he also wanted to become the top military general in the world. Even the positions of Grand Marshal and General were ranked below the "Supreme General".

At first glance, it seemed that this foolish emperor had done something ridiculous again, but when one calmed down and thought about it carefully, one found that the emperor's move was actually a brilliant plan, except for the fact that the candidates for the eight captains had to be selected from aristocratic families in the end.

In Yang Ci's opinion, the emperor did not have a suitable candidate to lead the troops, so the selection of the captain would eventually fall into the hands of the aristocratic families, and the power to lead the troops would still be divided among the aristocratic families.

But what if this "Supreme General" is the prince?

Thinking of this, a gleam of light flashed in Yang Ci's eyes, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly, revealing an imperceptible smile.

In this way, this plan becomes feasible!
The prince has a group of capable and brave generals under his command who are willing to die for him. In this way, the selection of the captain can bypass the wealthy families, and the power to lead the troops can be truly in the hands of the prince. Isn't this a brilliant plan?

As for the privileges of wearing sword and shoes into the palace and not bowing when entering the court, they were special honors bestowed upon Xiao He by Emperor Taizu Gao. The Marquis of Yongwen was actually Xiao He.

Except for the emperor, anyone entering the palace must take off their shoes and walk in only socks to show respect for the palace. Swords must also be taken off and handed over to the guards outside the palace.

Walking quickly with small steps and a slight bow is the basic etiquette for officials to follow when meeting the monarch, to show humility and respect.

Even the crown prince has no privileges under these two rules and they must not be violated.

In addition to these two items, when ministers paid homage to the monarch, the ceremonial official would announce it by adding his official title and name. For example, if Lu Zhi came to the Prince's Mansion, Jian Yong would shout "Prince's Grand Tutor Lu Zhi has arrived." If the name was not used during the homage, Jian Yong would shout "Prince's Grand Tutor has arrived" to show honor and favor.

However, this honor was something the Crown Prince was born with, so the "Praise Without Name" skill from the Powerful Minister Set was of no use to him.

When he thought of this, Liu Bian couldn't help but sigh in his heart, it is true that "an old man in the family is like a treasure."

There were many hidden dangers, which even wise men like Jia Xu and Xun Yu, who appeared in history books, failed to notice. However, a shrewd politician like Yang Ci was knowledgeable and pointed out the hidden dangers of the Prince's Mansion in one sentence and proposed practical solutions.

Even the content of this solution left Liu Bian somewhat bewildered. At first glance, it didn't seem like the crown prince concentrating power, but rather like a powerful minister seizing it. "'Supreme General' is a nice title, but it's too vulgar," Liu Bian gently stroked his bald chin, a flicker of excitement in his eyes. Despite feeling a little strange, he chose to accept Yang Ci's advice, while revealing his old fantasy. He slowly said, "'The Zuo Zhuan, Duke Xi's fifth year, says: 'The quail is vigorous, the heavenly strategy is bright.'"

During the Yongping reign, Grand Historian Xi Meng wrote a book on astrology, which said: "When the star Fu Yue shines brightly, the king's mandate will flourish and his assistants will appear." The star Fu Yue is the Celestial Strategy Star.

"Therefore, I would like to ask the Emperor to grant me the title of 'General of Heavenly Strategy'. What do you think?"

Liu Bian became more and more excited as he spoke, his chest heaving violently, his hands clenched into fists, and the hot blood in his veins seemed to be ignited.

Which man can refuse the title of "General of Tiance"?

It's just a bit unfair to the title of general, as he should be the head of both civil officials and military generals, but he can only be listed as the head of military generals in a single unit, with the power to command the Chinese and foreign armies.

"Your servant, Weiwei Fan Ling, pays homage to General Tiance!"

When Weiwei Fan Ling heard the prince's words, a trace of eagerness and flattery flashed in his eyes. He stamped his feet and stepped forward quickly, leaned over and agreed loudly, without caring whether the emperor had officially issued an edict to confer the title.

The imperial seal is in the hands of the crown prince. With the crown prince's current prestige in the court and the country, let alone proclaiming himself the "General of Heavenly Strategy", even if he asks the emperor to abdicate, it is unlikely to cause any waves.

Fan Ling's reaction was also quite quick. There was no minister present who was more suitable than him to take the lead in recognizing the prince's status as "General of Heavenly Strategy".

Taiwei Yang Ci was the initiator and should avoid suspicion.

General He Jin, General Zhu Miao, General Lu Zhi who was just promoted at the court meeting, and General Huangfu Song were not suitable. If they were not relatives of the emperor, they were the prince's party, which would certainly arouse some criticism.

As the Minister of Defense, he was not a member of the Prince's faction and had an even more special status as a Nine Ministers. Could there be a more suitable candidate than him?

Liu Yan and Cui Lie simultaneously glanced at Fan Ling, as if they also smelled a strong scent of their own kind and a great sense of threat from him.

Another guy who comes here to compete for merit in order to be promoted to one of the Three Dukes in the future!

Soon, Liu Yan and Cui Lie, unwilling to be outdone, bowed and saluted in almost the same rhythm, saying, "Your servants, Minister of Rites Liu Yan and Minister of Justice Cui Lie, pay their respects to the Grand General of Heavenly Strategy!"

Having just witnessed the prince's majesty and methods, the ministers naturally did not want to experience it for themselves.

At this time, the prince may not remember your kindness because of your cheers, but he will definitely remember your disloyalty because you did not cheer him.

If the prince were to have his eyes on me, it would be better for me to resign early and return home to live in seclusion, so as to avoid living in fear all day long.

Then, all the officials bowed to the Crown Prince and saluted, shouting, "Your Highnesses, we pay our respects to the Supreme General Tiance!"

However, among the people seated below the Three Dukes, General He Jin showed an unwilling look and responded perfunctorily.

Even Liu Bian couldn't help but feel surprised at He Jin's persistence. Could it be that his uncle had not given up the idea of ​​having a relative serve as the general to take charge of the government?

(2469 words)
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PS: Damn it, I won’t sleep anymore, I’ll continue updating!
PPS: Being the commander-in-chief of all military forces at home and abroad is not the same as controlling all the troops in the world, otherwise a certain general would not have to call himself "the great general of the universe, the commander-in-chief of the world".

In the early Han Dynasty, the system of Central and Foreign Armies divided the elite troops of the capital into Central Army and Foreign Armies, namely, the guards inside and outside the palace and some elite troops stationed in the capital. The former included the Huben Guards and the Five Schools of the Northern Army, and the latter included the Yulin Army, the City Gate Captain's Department, the Zhijinwu Department, and the county and state soldiers. The Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties inherited this system, but the power only shrank and did not expand. In the early Han Dynasty, the Central and Foreign Armies had the largest scope, and in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the command of the state and county soldiers was eliminated.

(End of this chapter)