Chapter 254,255 A glass of wine for the county magistrate
"Historical Records" records that New Year's Day in the Xia Dynasty was the first day of the first lunar month, New Year's Day in the Yin and Shang Dynasties was the first day of the twelfth lunar month, and New Year's Day in the Zhou Dynasty was the first day of the eleventh lunar month.
In "The Book of Songs·Binfeng·July", there are also records about the activities of worshiping gods and ancestors at the beginning and end of the year: on the second day, the ice was cut and washed, on the third day, it was collected in Lingyin. On the fourth day, fleas were removed and lambs were sacrificed to leeks.
In the ninth month, there will be frost, and in the tenth month, the field will be washed. We will have wine and feast, saying that we will kill the lamb. We will enter the public hall, say that we will drink wine, and live a long life.
In other words, during the Spring and Autumn Period, the end of October is already the end of the year, which can be called the New Year's Day.
The Chu State's New Year's Day falls around December, not late October or early November.
This stems from the particularity of Chu land. After all, they live in a barbarian land. In addition to necessary planting, the biggest activity of Chu people is hunting.
Therefore, hunting those plump game in winter is obviously the greatest pleasure of Chu people.
Winter in the Chu region naturally comes later than winter in the Central Plains countries, so the New Year's Eve in the Chu region is naturally much later than that in the Central Plains countries.
In addition, the people of Chu have always disliked being the same as other countries in the Central Plains. They always wanted to be unique and unconventional in everything. Therefore, since King Wu of Chu became king, the Chu State's New Year's Day has always been set around December.
Closer to home, Li Ran defeated the Kingdom of Wu this time, and also obtained the head of Wu King Zhufan. The time when the class teacher returned to the court happened to coincide with the Spring Festival of the Kingdom of Chu. For the King of Chu, it was even more festive.
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So the King of Chu personally worked in the countryside and ordered a banquet to be held in Zhanghua Palace to reward the three armies.
As for this great victory over Wu, according to the success of Wu Ju, Li Ran and Sun Wu should take the lead.
After all, there was information about the front line, and Wu Ju had passed it back verbatim, so what the King of Chu did and said to Li Ran and Sun Wu on the front line was all unknown.
Therefore, from the way he personally welcomed the return of Li Ran and Sun Wu, it is not difficult to see that he attaches great importance to these two people.
After all, as the king of a country, he personally came to the countryside to serve two foreigners who were not even considered ministers. This kind of courtesy was definitely unprecedented.
But this is not over yet.
At the banquet in Zhanghuatai, the King of Chu asked hundreds of officials to sit with him, and forcibly staged a drama for them: "The Duke of Zhou spits out food, and the world returns to its heart."
"My dear friends, I would like to pay my respects to those sons and gentlemen of Chu who died in battle. It was they who used their lives to defend the land of Chu and the dignity of Xiong Chu!"
After saying this, the King of Chu raised his lamp and waved it away in front of the stage.
When the ministers heard this, they immediately nodded and raised their glasses to the distance. They followed his example and poured out the wine together.
Li Ran and Sun Wu are no exception. After all, they respect the dead, which is considered etiquette.
Then, the waiter on the side quickly gave King Chu Xiong Wei a glass of wine. Then King Chu raised another glass and shouted loudly:
"This second lamp, I respect the efforts of all the ministers here to help us make the country of Chu prosperous and win a great victory over the Wu barbarians!"
After the King of Chu finished speaking, he drank the wine in one gulp.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
At this time, the officials who were standing by the table but had not actually done anything heard the sound and were flattered for a moment. They hurriedly raised their cups and drank in response.
"As for this third lamp, I have to respect Mr. Ziming and Mr. Changqing. They are two great sages, one in literature and one in martial arts. They are both unparalleled heroes in this world! Now that I am lucky enough to get it, it is really a great blessing for me, Chu!"
"
To say that Wang Ziwei could become the King of Chu, in addition to the uniqueness of Chu State itself, the personal wisdom of King Xiong Wei of Chu was naturally indispensable.
Why did he respect the soldiers who died in battle first, then the useless officials, and finally Li Ran and Sun Wu?
This is of course not without reason.
Why is the Chu State so powerful?
Of course, it must be attributed to the strong national power of the Chu State, and the strong national power is reflected precisely in the Chu State's military.
And among the military, what comes first?
Nature is human. The army does not fall from the sky or grow from the earth, but is composed of living people.
Therefore, as the King of Chu, Xiong Wei, if he wants to expand his territory in the future, what will he rely on? Isn't it these "people"? Therefore, it is natural to put them first.
Then, those who paid respect were those in the palace, who seemed to have played no role in this battle with Wu.
Why should we respect them?
Because the King of Chu is still a mortal after all, even if he has three heads and six arms, he cannot handle everything in the country in an orderly manner.
Therefore, of course the King of Chu had to rely on them.
As for him putting Li Ran and Sun Wu at the end, the profound meaning is self-evident.
On the one hand, it shows the highest respect and courtesy, but on the other hand?
What does it mean to be "lucky for a few kings"?
Obviously, this is the wording of "secretly changing concepts" in public.
It goes without saying that this is a hard binding: Li Ran is now our Chuchen!
And you, Li Ran, since you are in Chu State at the moment, how can you not be regarded as "the one who gets it"?
It can be seen that the King of Chu was also a good player in playing with words. The sequence and wording of the sentences were all meticulous to the bone.
As for Li Ran, he certainly couldn't tear down the King of Chu at this time. After all, when people praise you to the heavens, you slap them back, which is indeed against human nature.
However, Li Ran also understood in his heart that the reason why King Chu did this was just to win people's hearts.
"When I first came to the throne, I received great help from these two wise men, and the two of them accomplished such extraordinary feats. I am really lucky for you, and I am very lucky!"
"Whatever reward you two want, just ask, I will definitely get it right!"
Of course, just verbal praise is definitely not enough, actual actions must also be taken.
Li Ran and Sun Wu looked at each other. Sun Wu shook his head knowingly, but did not speak.
Li Ran understood, stood up and said:
"Going back to your Majesty, I and Sun Wu are very lucky to have gone out to meet the enemy with Dr. Wuju without dragging him down. How can we dare to ask for rewards from your Majesty again? Both I and Sun Wu deserve it!"
Of course, Li Ran didn't want the King of Chu to give him a reward. After all, he was short-handed, and it would be even more unclear in the future.
But who knew that when King Chu heard this, he immediately waved his hand:
"Haha, sir, you are too modest. What are you talking about?!"
"Sir, you have made such great contributions to our country of Chu. How can I not reward you? Since you don't want to speak, I will make your own decision..."
"In this way, since your heart is devoted to Zheng, I will reward you with Ye Yi at the junction of Chu and Zheng, and make you the county magistrate of Ye Yi. How about that?"
As soon as these words came out, there was a sudden silence in the whole hall.
Even Wu Ju, who had been mentally prepared, was shocked at this moment, with disbelief written all over his face.
The county magistrate of Yeyi?
Doesn’t this make Li Ran a being equivalent to a prince?
——
Chapter 255_Sun Wu holds Ye Yi
Due to the different systems of the Chu State, the county magistrates of the Chu State had much greater power than the governors of the cities in the Central Plains countries.
To put it simply, when the King of Chu asked Li Ran to go to Yeyi to serve as the county magistrate, he was granting Yeyi and the land to Li Ran.
However, everything Li Ran did in Ye Yi was not subject to the control of the King of Chu, and he could decide all matters within his jurisdiction on his own.
Does this sound familiar?
Yes.
This unique "county prince" of the Chu State actually has so much power that it is almost equivalent to being the highest official in charge of a party.
However, this "county official" system was completely different from the feudal system of the Zhou royal family.
The difference is that the king of Chu has the direct power to appoint and remove the so-called "county official".
It is not like the Zhou royal family. Once a country is sealed, the country is no longer under the control of the Zhou royal family. Instead, it becomes a hereditary position and is passed down from generation to generation.
Perhaps it is because the Chu people have learned the lessons of the gradual decline of the Zhou royal family, or perhaps the Chu people want to be different from the "Zhou royal family" in every way. In short, under this system, the Chu people naturally
A relatively centralized path. (Of course, only in the Spring and Autumn Period)
Is this very similar to the "prefecture and county system" that will lay the foundation for China's institutional structure for thousands of years?
Yes, so if you want to say when was the earliest "prefecture and county system" in China? Many people may first think of the Qin State. But in fact? The Qin State was nothing more than a "official copywriter". And what he said
The object of plagiarism is the current state of Chu, which was hundreds of years earlier than him.
However, even so, because of the position of "county official", his position is actually equivalent to that of the head of a country.
Therefore, it can be seen that King Chu really spent a lot of money this time.
After all, at this moment, there are quite a few officials sitting in this Zhanghua Terrace, but among them, only a handful can be awarded the title of "County Duke".
As a foreign minister, Li Ran was not even a real Chu minister, but he had already received such a reward from the King of Chu. Isn't the courtesy of Chu King Xiong Wei not obvious enough?
Even Li Ran himself couldn't help but be startled after hearing such a "generous" reward from the King of Chu, and he didn't come back to his senses for a long time.
He really didn't expect that the King of Chu would actually take action with such generosity. Either he didn't take action, or if he took action, he would reward a whole country!
"gentlemen?"
"What do you think, sir?"
King Chu still looked at Li Ran with a bright smile and asked expectantly.
And all the ministers and officials present here were filled with envy and jealousy when they saw that the King of Chu was so generous!
After all, this reward is unprecedented! Even Wu Ju, as the most favored minister around King Chu Xiong Wei, would never dare to think of it!
But now the King of Chu has directly sealed Li Ran, a foreign minister in their eyes, how can they not be jealous?
Although this group of people are all at the level of old foxes, seeing King Chu rewarding him so highly, envy could not help but appear on their faces.
But what they didn't know was that at this moment, after Li Ran calmed down a little, he immediately woke up.
On his forehead, a burst of black crows could not help but pass by.
"I've told you a thousand times, I don't want to stay in Chu State, let alone be an official in Chu State!"
"Deaf, right? Just rush the duck and put it on the shelf, right?!"
"What kind of kindness is this! This is clearly forcing me to go to Liangshan? This guy thinks that I am Lu Junyi!"
Li Ran has seen shameless people, but never seen such shameless people. If you want to put it aside, Song Jiang acted like a gangster to Lu Junyi, but that is just family talk, how can such behavior be played in reality?!
And Li Ran really asked his grandfather to eat coptis at this time - what a hardship!
In fact, how could he not know these wishful thinking of King Chu?
Once he receives this gift, it will be difficult even if he doesn't want to admit it.
Not only that, his political career as a Zhou native has come to an end.
Because once he became the county official of Chu State, it meant that he, Li Ran, was directly under the orders of the King of Chu.
If this is the case, then he still talks about peace between the north and the south and peace in the world?
The countries in the Central Plains in the north just want to crush him to pieces and scatter them into ashes!
But what if he doesn't accept it? You can rest assured that the King of Chu has already left a backup plan. If Li Ran insists on refusing to award the reward, the King of Chu will only need to publicize the news.
This can be turned into another drama immediately to promote the example of "the King of Chu treats the wise with courtesy". When the time comes, not only will the Central Plains countries hold grudges, but even the entire Chu Kingdom will not look upon him in a good light.
As the saying goes, "Blocking people's way of making money will kill their parents." You, Li Ran, suddenly acted like this. Aren't you just embarrassing those who come after you?
Do you still remember Jie Zitui back then? How was Jie Zitui framed by gangsters and burned alive on the mountain?
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Isn't this the trouble caused by "flaunting oneself as a noble and upright person"?
Cruel!
It’s really cruel!
"When you become the king of a country, instead of studying state affairs, you actually study the art of war!"
"Sun Wu hasn't written "The Art of War" yet. Who did you learn this trick from?"
Li Ran felt depressed in his heart, and at this moment he seemed to be pushed to the edge of a cliff.
There are crematoriums on both sides, how to choose?
Just when he was in a dilemma, an idea suddenly flashed in his mind, and he inadvertently thought of another famous figure in Chinese history.
That's right, isn't his current situation of "being in the Chu camp and caring about Zhou" very similar to Guan Yunchang who was trapped in Xiapi back then?
"Hey, it doesn't matter. Since Mr. Guan can seal it with gold and seal in the future, why can't I, Li Ran?"
"The worst thing is, from now on, just hang the seal in the county government office, slap your butt and leave."
After thinking about it, Li Ran felt that this was a solution. After all, he really had no other solution at the moment.
So, half pushing and half winning, he had no choice but to step forward and thank the King of Chu for the reward.
When the King of Chu saw that Li Ran had actually accepted his reward, he was very happy. He stepped forward and grabbed Li Ran's hand, led Li Ran to the center of the hall, looked at his highnesses and officials solemnly, and shouted:
"Everyone, from today on, Mr. Ziming is the county magistrate of Yedi, Chu State!"
"Very good! Very good! Let's play music and then dance! Today I will definitely have a good drink with all my ministers!"
Making Li Ran the county magistrate of Chu was obviously the second step for the King of Chu to recruit Li Ran.
As long as Li Ran becomes a senior executive of Chu State, is it still far away that Li Ran will be willing to serve Chu State?
When the King of Chu thought that he would be able to conquer Li Ran in the near future, he was so excited that he felt a hundred times more comfortable than having ten concubines.
But what he didn't know was that this second step he took would also be his last step in recruiting Li Ran.
…
The next day, Li Ran woke up from being drunk and felt a dull pain in his head. It wasn't until he drank a lot of tea that he slowly came back to his senses.
At this time, the county official's clothes and seals sent by the king of Chu were already prepared in the house, as well as Ye Yi's corresponding slips.
"Since Sir, you have picked up the Lord of Yeyi County, you must send someone there immediately."
The King of Chu only sent one eunuch and urged Li Ran to send someone to take over Ye Yi as soon as possible.
Of course Li Ran also knew that he had to send someone to take over Ye Yi, so he had no choice but to call Sun Wu.
At this moment, besides Sun Wu, who else can take over Ye Yi on his behalf?
When Sun Wu heard that Li Ran wanted to take over Ye Yi himself, he was immediately shocked. At first he thought Li Ran was joking.
But after listening to what Li Ran said, I realized that what Li Ran said was true.
"If Brother Wei takes office in person, there will be no room for maneuver with the Central Plains countries in the future. Brother Wei will be completely opposite to Zheng Guo and Dr. Zichan."
"Since Chang Qing has been with me for many days and knows the inside story of the Zheng State, asking you to take over Ye Yi will not only maintain harmony with the Zheng State, but also stabilize the Chu King's intention to advance northward."
"Well, sir, you are right. This may be the reason why the King of Chu granted Ye Yi a reward! In fact, it was also to show that he had no intention of going north, so that sir, he could stay in the Chu Kingdom with peace of mind."
"Not only that, but if the situation becomes more variable in the future, you and I will be able to leave without any hindrance."
It turns out that the reason why Li Ran was rewarded, and the reason why the king of Chu was sure that Li Ran would be rewarded, was because of the geographical location of Ye Yi.
Yeyi was the most important city between Zheng and Chu. Li Ran was granted the title here, which was equivalent to getting a ticket to return to Zheng at any time.
On the other hand, it also expressed that the King of Chu had no intention of marching north to fight for supremacy. At least, that was the case as long as Li Ran was in the Chu Kingdom.
Therefore, it is obviously appropriate for Sun Wu to take over Ye Yi for him.
"But sir, Wu has never..."
"Haha, sir, you don't need to worry too much. To be in charge of a party, you only need to remember four words, that is - to govern for the people."
Sun Wu was originally a Li leader and had no experience in running a party.
But what is very different from later generations in this era is that whoever is in charge of a party can develop different strategic characteristics based on different regional conditions.
Just like the Zheng State emphasized commerce and trade, the Lu State emphasized ethics and education, the Jin State emphasized integration, the Song State emphasized ghosts and gods, and so on.
As the saying goes, "The same rice feeds hundreds of people." In fact, every place has its own unique style.
Therefore, it is obvious that if you want to govern a people well, the most inescapable fundamental prerequisite is to put people first.
Obviously, Li Ran believes that as long as the government of a party can be "people-oriented", comply with local folk customs and develop appropriately according to local conditions, it can find a way to achieve long-term peace and stability.
This can be considered a "great governance".
Therefore, although Sun Wu has no experience in ruling a party, it is precisely because of his "inexperience" that if he can only rely on his heart of "governing for the people", Li Ran is convinced that Sun Wu is completely competent.
"Promise, Wu Ding should always remember his teacher's instructions."