Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

Chapter 110 The So-Called Glory

Facing the serious gazes of Liu Shan and Fei Yi, Chen Zhi calmly and slowly began to speak: "I am from the Chen family of Runan, a family that has held official positions for generations. However, I spent my childhood in my maternal grandfather's home, making me half a member of the Xu family. Whether Chen or Xu, we have served the Han dynasty for generations and received the Han's bounty, so of course we must be loyal to the Han. I have received Your Majesty's great favor and have served in the court. I have always wished to repay the emperor and will naturally do my utmost to restore the Han dynasty."

"Today, I am speaking to Your Majesty here because Fei Pu She in this room is also a Han official, as are the Tiger Guards and eunuchs inside, and the many officials of the Secretariat outside. They all receive Han stipends and are naturally subject to the orders of the court."

"However," Chen Zhi cleared his throat, "for those Qiang and Hu people, or for the noble families, officials, soldiers, and commoners of Wei and Wu, the restoration of the Han dynasty is a matter for the Shu Han state alone. What does it have to do with them? Forgive my bluntness, but when I was in Jianye, Wu, I heard Sun Quan say that Emperor Xiaomin truly died last year. Now, the Cao family has ruled for three generations, and there are no longer any loyalists to the Han in the north. In their eyes, our dynasty is an enemy state, nothing more!"

Liu Shan nodded slightly and sighed, "How could I not understand what Fengzong said? Restoring the Han Dynasty is my mission. You two are my assistants, so it is naturally your mission as well. It has nothing to do with the people of the Qiang, Hu, Wei, and Wu kingdoms, or even with most of the officials in the court. They are just doing their jobs and receiving a salary."

"If that's the case, it's simply a matter of me setting a price and having the Qiang and Hu people accept it. The only question is what kind of price I'm setting."

Chen Zhi nodded: "Since Your Majesty has answered my question, I have another question."

"Tell me about it," Liu Shan said.

Chen Zhi asked, "Does Your Majesty believe that the rewards for the three eras of Emperor Gaozu's establishment of the dynasty, Emperor Guangwu's restoration of the dynasty, and the late Emperor's founding of the dynasty are the same as those for your subjects?"

Liu Shan gently shook his head: "It is different."

Chen Zhi said: "After Emperor Gaozu became emperor, he enfeoffed many princes of different surnames to attack Xiang Yu. After the victory, he enfeoffed his sons and executed the kings to win the hearts of the people. Emperor Guangwu restored the dynasty with the help of the gentry. The power of the gentry in the Later Han Dynasty was twice that of the previous dynasty, but later it also fell into chaos in the hands of the gentry."

"Then, let's set aside how to reclaim power after the victory. If Shu Han wants to revive, to whom should power be distributed? By whose strength can this great undertaking be accomplished? Forgive my frankness, but the court needs to make preparations not only militarily but also politically. If it only wants to subdue the whole world by military force, it will be extremely difficult."

Liu Shan, with a composed expression, understood the profound meaning in Chen Zhi's words and looked directly at him: "Fengzong, please speak frankly."

"Your Majesty," Chen Zhi stood up and bowed to Liu Shan, "I believe that Your Majesty, as the Son of Heaven, if you wish to establish a great undertaking, should be like Emperor Gaozu, free from all constraints!"

"Neither good nor bad—" Fei Yi frowned and replied, "These are Ma Yuan and Kui Xiao recounting Emperor Gaozu's words!"

"Exactly," Chen Zhi said slowly. "In my opinion, since Wei has granted the Qiang and Hu people titles and official positions, and promised not to exploit them, the only way for the court to deal with this matter is to offer an even greater reward than Wei. If Wei grants the title of Marquis of Guiyi, the court should grant the titles of Marquis of a proper pavilion, Marquis of a township, or Marquis of a county! If the Qiang and Hu people prove to be of great use, granting them titles of Duke or King is not out of the question!"

"How can this be!" Fei Yi slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly. "How can a title of nobility from the Han Dynasty be so easily bestowed?"

Liu Shan shook his head in response: "If I don't agree, is there any other way?"

Chen Zhi calmly replied, "The Wei Kingdom has given us official seals, yet they don't employ the Qiang and Hu tribes. The court wants the Qiang and Hu to send troops and supplies, but they haven't offered any tangible benefits like money or provisions. They haven't given us titles or ranks, so what else can they offer? What can the court afford to give?"

"Were the Qiang and Hu peoples born to aid the Han? They have been enemies of the Han dynasty for over a hundred years, since the reign of Emperor Ming of the Later Han!"

"Longxi and Qiangzhong are both part of Liangzhou, now occupied by the Wei Kingdom, not within the territory of the Shu Han. Let alone titles and ranks, what difference would it make if their leaders were appointed as county magistrates or prefects if they were of any help to the court?"

Fei Yi raised an eyebrow and replied, "In the four hundred years of the Han Dynasty, there has never been such an precedent!"

"That's because the Han army was strong in the past, overwhelming the various Hu tribes," Chen Zhi replied. "Now, the court only has the strength of Yizhou. If it wants to launch a distant expedition to Longxi and Liangzhou, it has neither people nor taxes there. What else can it do without the help of the Qiang and Hu tribes? Even if it can subdue one or two tribes like it did with Qiangduan and Fu Shuang before, the western border is vast. Can the court really suppress all the Qiang and Hu tribes with military force? It would be too much to bear! Now that Wei is on friendly terms with the Qiang and Hu, won't the Qiang and Hu help Wei deal with the Han army?"

"There was no precedent before, but we can have one today."

Liu Shan sighed and said, "I understand Feng Zong's intentions, and Feng Zong's words make sense, but I do not want to do it that way."

"Master," Liu Shan turned to Fei Yi, "why not launch an attack first? If that fails, then try Feng Zong's suggestion?"

Fei Yi's gaze was cold and stern, and he remained silent for a long time.

Seeing that Fei Yi did not answer, Liu Shan turned to Chen Zhi and asked, "How about we try it once?"

Chen Zhi bowed again: "Your Majesty, Heaven often does not give you two chances."

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"After being enfeoffed as the King of Han by Xiang Yu, Emperor Gao led his army into Hanzhong for only one month. Without hesitation, he led his troops to pacify the Three Qin regions. After that, he marched east out of Xiaohan Pass to pacify the Three Rivers region. After that, all the land of Qin belonged to the Han Dynasty and there was no more rebellion."

"Nine years ago, Prime Minister Zhuge attacked Longyou, intending to cut off the Longyou road by surprise. Unfortunately, this plan failed. Afterwards, Wei became very wary, and the Prime Minister spent the rest of his life without gaining any territory from Wei."

"Your Majesty, the Shu Han state is not as powerful as the Wei state. Fortunately, our ministers are loyal and diligent, and our soldiers are brave and devoted. They are all grateful for the kindness of the Liu family and are willing to die for Your Majesty. We can use our popular support to overcome the Wei state's advantages in timing and location. Military operations often rely on surprise. If the court can pacify the Qiang and Hu tribes in one battle, win their hearts, and seize Liangzhou, what do a few titles and ranks matter to the court?"

"If you fail the first time, it will be extremely difficult the second time."

"The Qiang and Hu peoples have no concept of a nation. Xiahou Yuan has been campaigning against the Qiang for twenty years. Now, the Qiang and Hu peoples have few grudges against either Han or Wei. Whether they help Wei or Han depends on what the court offers!"

"In the past, Han Xin asked Emperor Gaozu for a false title of King of Qi, and Emperor Gaozu granted him the true title. I hope Your Majesty will not begrudge him a title!"

Liu Shan shook his head and sighed, "If I were to enfeoff many Qiang and Hu people as marquises, I fear the officials of the court would be disappointed. Currently, even the ministers of various departments are only enfeoffed as marquises within the pass; how can we compare them to outsiders?"

Chen Zhi laughed and said, "Your Majesty, as the Son of Heaven, you govern the people on behalf of Heaven. There is no limit to the number of official titles and ranks that can be bestowed. It is clear to anyone with discerning eyes that the ranks of the Qiang and Hu tribes are different from those of the Han officials. If a court official achieves further merit, if a village marquis is not enough, he can be granted the title of township marquis; if a township marquis is not enough, he can be granted the title of county marquis; if a marquis is not enough, he can be granted the title of county duke; if a county duke is not enough, he can be granted the title of commandery duke, county king, or commandery king—during the reign of Emperor Gaozu, Han Xin's fiefdom as King of Qi was the size of a province!"

"Currently, the highest-ranking general in the court is the General of Chariots and Cavalry, above whom there are positions such as General of the Flying Cavalry, Grand General, and Grand Marshal. These generals can also hold remote positions such as Prefect, Governor, and Provincial Governor. If that's still not enough, I can create hundreds of such positions for Your Majesty!"

"Even if the fiefdom isn't enough, the imperial court can grant fiefdoms that are nominal or real. What difference does it make if there are three thousand nominal households and eight hundred real households?"

"Your Majesty," Chen Zhi said sincerely, "I have said so much today, but it all boils down to one sentence. Wei is already in such a state. Since the court cannot provide the Qiang and Hu with tangible benefits, it should not be stingy with titles and ranks. It should give them more at once, and give them enough!"

"The Qiang and Hu peoples were not born to help the Han attack Wei!"

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