The emperor's move to Xudu was a major event in nature, and even more so in name.
Even though it was already the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty when the monarchy was in decline, in the original history, all the feudal princes were still nominally Han ministers, and most of them made such gestures to celebrate. Liu Bei, who was the shepherd of Xuzhou at the time, was no exception.
However, Wang Zheng has neither this loyalty nor the leisure time.
When Cao Cao took Emperor Xian to Xudu, he was chasing Liu Bei thousands of miles away. When he came back, he met Xuzhou Chude. All parties in the military and government had countless affairs to deal with, so there was no time for such superficial things.
Therefore, this imperial edict from Emperor Xu Du came as a surprise.
Including the content as well.
At the beginning, it is said that Wang Zheng "had extraordinary achievements, and he must be an extraordinary person." He did not give positive affirmation to Wang Zheng's power to defeat Liu Bei and regain Xuzhou, but also said that "an old horse may gallop to cover a thousand miles, and a scholar may reach a thousand miles."
He established a reputation because of the burden of living up to the customs."
This is a famous line from Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty's "Edict on Pursuing Talents and Different Talents", which means that some horses gallop and kick people, but they can travel thousands of miles; some people are often ridiculed by worldly discussions, but they are geniuses who have made great achievements.
Of course, there is a summary statement at the end of the original text: The horse that is driven by the husband and the man who is relaxed are just controlling it.
(Whether it is a fierce horse that may cause the car to overturn or a wild and uninhibited knight, it does not mean that it cannot be used. The key lies in how to control it.)
But here it is not copied directly.
The implication is simply that although Wang Zheng had violated the rules before, but now that he is back to orthodoxy, he will naturally let go of the past.
The end of the imperial edict even states:
"The emperor set the tripod, relying on the strength of his troops and ministers, and the tranquility of the sea to invigorate the troops. The royal government guarded the rock frontier. He was the minister who consolidated the rivers and mountains. He was granted the title of General of the Eastern Expedition, and was given the title of Marquis Liyang Ting, and led the shepherd of Xuzhou."
The final appointment was the most unexpected of Wang Zheng. From the previous praises and praises, he had actually guessed that there must be some nice false titles given to him.
After all, his own family is doing similar things now.
But Wang Zheng still didn't expect Emperor Xian...or that Cao Cao would be so generous.
The top of the Eastern Han Dynasty military system was composed of generals, generals of hussars, generals of cavalry, and generals of guard. Conquering all directions was not really a high position, not to mention that Wang Zheng had already proclaimed himself a general.
, how can you take this as nothing more than an official seal?
Of course, we can also see some of Cao Cao's intentions from this name. Both Yanzhou and Xudu are located northwest of Xuzhou.
Zhengdong...
To the east of Wangzheng, apart from the sea, there is only Yangzhou.
Xuzhou Mu is also better than nothing. After all, his real status outweighs his fame. No matter whether he is a Mu or a governor, or even what official position he has on his head, it cannot change the fact that he holds the sole and highest authority in Xuzhou.
Speaking of the most important gift, it was Marquis Li Yangting.
The Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system and implemented a twenty-level title system, with the highest being Chehou. Later, in order to avoid the taboo of Emperor Wu Liu Che, it was changed to Liehou.
In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the feudal lords were divided into three levels, from top to bottom: County Marquis, Township Marquis, and Ting Marquis. Below the lords there was Guannei Marquis.
In ancient times, positions were awarded based on ability, and titles were rewarded for merit. Official positions belonged to the administrative system, with specific positions and corresponding superior-subordinate relationships, and regular assessments. Official positions were mostly awarded through talent selection, and official positions had real power, but
Not hereditary.
The title belongs to the honorary system and does not have a specific position. Generally, only royal nobles or ministers who have made important contributions will be awarded the title, so it is more difficult to obtain it.
Especially the two Han people who call the shots in the old Liu family.
After all, Liu Bang said in addition to the famous "Whoever is not the Liu family but the king, the whole world will attack him" in the White Horse Alliance.
If there is no meritorious deeds and one remains unattended, the whole world will punish him!
Even in the troubled times of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the difficulty of obtaining it has not decreased much.
After all, even Cao Cao at this time was just a Tinghou (in the second year of Xingping before welcoming the emperor, Cao Cao was the Zhendong General and was granted the title of Fei Tinghou)
Before the establishment of the Three Kingdoms, it was extremely difficult to obtain princes. For example, when the eighteen princes attacked Dong Zhuo, most of the princes with some strength came, but only two of them had titles at that time.
One is Hou Sunjian of Wucheng Township, and the other is Yuan Shao, Hou of Qixiang County.
Although Sun Jian was a rural prince, he followed the most orthodox Han method of conferring military merit, and his military achievements were more valuable than Yuan Shao's.
He first defeated the rebellion of Xu Chang, Xu Shao and his son from Kuaiji County. Later, he also made many military exploits when quelling the Yellow Turban rebellion. For example, when he attacked Wancheng, he took the lead and was the first to board the city.
Later in 185, Bian Zhang and Han Sui launched a rebellion in Liangzhou, and Sun Jian assisted the cavalry general Zhang Wen to successfully quell the rebellion.
It was like this until the Ou Xing rebellion two years later. Sun Jian, then the governor of Changsha, once again put down the rebellion in just one month. He even crossed the county boundary to help his neighboring colleagues put down Lingling and Guiyang. The rebellion of Jun Zhou Chao and Guo Shi was so fierce that "the rebels were not killed enough" before they finally obtained the title of nobility.
"Three Kingdoms": "The Han Dynasty recorded the achievements of the past and the past, and granted the title of Jianwu Chenghou."
Of course, the highest and most valuable title in the world at this time...
That still has to be Lu Bu’s Marquis Wen!
It even overshadowed the brothers Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, who were also county princes.
First, Lu Bu, the Marquis of Wen, was personally conferred by Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty. In comparison, Yuan Shu's Marquis of Yangzhai was given by Li Jue, and Yuan Shao's Marquis of Qixiang was given by Dong Zhuo.
Second, Wen County belongs to Sizhou Hanoi County.
Sizhou was the capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It had seven counties and 106 towns, more than 600,000 registered households, and a population of over a million. It was undoubtedly the center of China.
Hanoi County was the second largest county in Sizhou at this time, second only to Henan Yin where Luoyang was located.
In addition to being the land of Longxing, Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu, this place is also the hometown of Sima Yi, the founder of the Western Jin Dynasty.
This great gift from Cao Cao was not unimportant, and even Wang Zheng was a little flattered. On the contrary, he became more and more confused about the intention behind this imperial edict.
Is it because they are afraid that I will make too much noise, so why don’t they sell it in advance to appease me?
While thinking wildly, he listened to the angel reading out the edict, and Wang Zheng led everyone to worship and accept the order.
The angel put away the imperial edict, took a few steps forward and handed it to Wang Zheng, and helped him up with a smile: "Not only did Zhou Mu conquer Xuzhou, but he also wiped out the bandits in Mount Tai. His achievements are outstanding and will be remembered for thousands of years."
"When the good news came to Xudu before, the whole city was celebrating. The general was full of praise for Zhou Mu, and even personally recommended it to the emperor, so he had such a favor."
General?
Wang Zheng was startled for a moment before he realized that after Cao Cao succeeded, the official title granted to his family was actually the same, and he couldn't help but laugh.
"Mr. Cao's kindness is deeply felt by the government." Wang Zheng replied arrogantly: "The angels have also worked hard all the way, and they have already prepared a banquet to wash away the dust for you." After saying this, he gestured with his hands.
"That would be disrespectful." The angel laughed, and under the leadership of Wang Zheng, strode towards the county mansion.
.....
Through conversations along the way, we found out that the angel's surname was Dong Mingzhao, a native of Dingtao, Jiyin. His family background was filial piety and incorruptibility. He was originally engaged in Yuan Shao's work. He also recently went on a pilgrimage after hearing that the emperor was visiting Xudu, and now he is granted the title of Zhengyilang.
These words moved Wang Zheng's heart. The influence of the Han Dynasty's orthodoxy was indeed extraordinary. It seems that not only his own Xuzhou, but also the states near Xudu, there may have been more or less brain drain during this period.
And this Dong Zhao...
Wang Zheng glanced at the other person calmly, and was secretly surprised. Speaking of which, this person had a strange appearance.
In recent years, the world has been in chaos, and both the bureaucrats, soldiers and civilians are hungry. Even the wealthy and aristocratic families have no worries about food and clothing, but they are always concerned about the situation and work hard, and they are usually emaciated. Therefore, it is normal to be thinner and fatter.
But this Dong Zhao is very handsome. To put it bluntly, he is a fat man with fine features and beautiful eyes, which makes him look quite eye-catching.
Of course, the most important thing is that this name makes Wang Zheng feel familiar.
Naturally, the only people who could make a history novice like him move when he heard about it were well-known officials of the Three Kingdoms like Xun Yu and Jia Xu. And if someone had such a feeling of déjà vu, at least he couldn't be an unknown sidekick.
His thoughts were turning rapidly, but he didn't show it on his face. He just led Dong Zhao into the palace and sat down in order of priority.
He was now nominally the Mu of Xuzhou and a minister of the Han Dynasty. Since Dong Zhao was an angel, it was like the emperor's presence in person, so naturally he had to take the throne.
After three rounds of drinking, Dong Zhao was cheerful and funny, and Wang Zheng and others deliberately catered to him. It didn't take long for the atmosphere to become more and more lively, and both parties began to speak and behave unscrupulously.
"Dong Gong, Xuzhou is a desolate place." Wang Zheng raised his glass again, leaned over and asked, "I wonder if the wine and food are suitable for your taste?"
"The title of Wangzhou Mu is wrong. You are now in the second rank, and your official position is higher than that of Zhao. How can you call him Gong?"
I heard Dong Zhao laugh and say: "If you want to be called a duke, it is for me, a sesame mung bean official, to call the prince."
"If you think highly of Dong Zhao, please don't mention it again, the prince."
"When you are talking freely or drinking heavily, you only need to distinguish the guest of honor." Wang Zheng glanced at Dong Zhao and said with a faint smile, "Zheng also feels that it is not appropriate to refer to official positions, so as not to contaminate the artistic conception with vulgarity."
"Haha, Yu Kou's words really touched my heart."
Dong Zhao immediately hit the snake on the stick and shouted out the words: "To be honest, although Dong Zhao is a scholar, he always likes to talk to heroes. What is a hero? Only those who are talented can be a hero, and those who have
His actions have made him worthy of being a hero, and he has great power in fighting off bandits and tigers. Zhao has been famous for a long time in Jizhou, and his heart is full of yearning for him."
"So this time, many people avoid the hard work of delivering the imperial edict, but I strive for it. Haha, just to get what I want and see the king's face!"
The road from Xudu to Xiapi was long and far away, not to mention that Wang Zheng and Cao Cao had a feud and were real Yellow Turban bandits. Such a hard and risky job was naturally considered a hard job rather than a good job.
Of course, Wang Zheng didn't believe a word of what Dong Zhao said about "his heart longing for it".
If this person is a minister of Cao Cao, he will naturally not have the slightest favorable impression of him, the enemy who rebelled against Qingzhou and captured Mount Tai. If he is a loyal minister who cares about the Han Dynasty, let alone
Zhang Jiao and the Yellow Turban bandits, the Han officials are afraid of Wang Zheng, and everyone would like to eat his flesh alive.
"Brother Dong is so complimentary." Wang Zheng responded perfunctorily and directly changed the topic: "In the past, there were Li and Guo, two thieves and party troubles, and in the later days, there was a famine in the Eastern Capital. Whenever Zheng thought about the emperor's safety, he would have trouble sleeping.
, It’s a pity that we have a small army and few generals, and our minds are weak. Now we are fortunate to have Duke Cao welcome us to Xudu. I wonder how the emperor is doing now?”
His words were sincere, but Dong Zhao also didn't believe it. He just smiled and said: "Thank you for worrying about the imperial invaders, and the emperor is protected by hundreds of spirits. Naturally, disaster will be auspicious, and everything will be fine."
"But what the imperial commander said about the small number of soldiers and generals is too modest."
Dong Zhao picked up the tea soup and drank it all, and looked at Wang Zheng with a smile but not a smile: "Although Zhao has never served in the army, he is not a rotten scholar who knows nothing about military affairs. He came all the way west, passed through Pengcheng and entered Xuzhou. What he saw along the way was really full of military energy.
,especially..."
Having said this, Dong Zhao first pointed at Xu Fang, Wu Sheng and others behind Wang Zheng, and then pointed at the soldiers guarding outside the palace: "Now among all of you in Pi City, the soldiers are tiger warriors and the generals are tiger generals. They have the appearance of a strong army.
How can we say that we have a weak army and few generals?"
Staring at Wang Zheng, Dong Zhao smiled meaningfully and said: "Such a strong army and strong horse, not to mention that today, perhaps nothing can compare with it. From Zhao's point of view, even Yuan Gong's elite troops in Jizhou are no more than this."
"Jizhou is a first-class stronghold. Jizhou's strong crossbows and Youzhou's sudden cavalry are tied for the top of the world's most powerful soldiers. How can these recruits under Zheng, who have only been experienced for more than a year, be able to compare? Brother Dong is joking."
Wang Zheng couldn't answer these words easily. He just sighed and showed a frown: "Speaking of the continuous wars in Xuzhou, it can be said that it is desolate. Let alone a strong army, these people are now
, Zhengdu feels that it is almost unaffordable."
"But without these soldiers and horses, we cannot guard Xuzhou, and we are afraid of betraying the Holy Grace. These days, I am really hesitant and tossing and turning."
"The imperial bandits are indeed brave and loyal." After hearing this, Dong Zhao nodded and said, "The general praised you for your humility, which is really good."
Having said this, I paused, looked left and right, and suddenly stopped talking.
Seeing this, Wang Zheng's heart moved.
This posture...
Could it be that in addition to the public imperial edict, Dong Zhao also brought Cao Cao, or was it a secret edict from Emperor Xian?
Thinking of this, he looked around and pondered for a while, leaving only Xu Fang and Mi Heng. He waved away the irrelevant people and ordered his guards to watch carefully. No one was allowed to come within a hundred steps of the outside of the palace without an order.
Originally it would have been more appropriate for Yu Jin to be present, but since he was an angel sent by Cao Cao, it was naturally not appropriate to show up this time.
When everyone left one after another, Dong Zhao nodded and suddenly asked: "When Zhao passed by Pengcheng, he heard that Lu Bu is now based in W County. I wonder if this is the case?"
Lu Bu?
Wang Zheng's face remained motionless and his mind was racing. While guessing why Dong Zhao suddenly mentioned this person's intention, he held up his hands and explained:
"Marquis Wen is also a Han official. Since he came to Xuzhou, the government naturally had to arrange a place for soldiers and horses to garrison."
"That's the case..." Dong Zhao stood up from the table with a smile on his face: "Yu Kou, I want to congratulate you in advance, seeing that you are about to be promoted to a higher position."
"You have just been granted the title of Marquis of Liyangting not long ago, but it is very likely that you will be promoted to the title of Township Marquis again soon!"
"Tsk, tsk, since the Han Dynasty was founded for more than 600 years, there are only a few rural princes under the age of twenty."
Wang Zheng was startled when he heard this. He looked at each other first, Xu Fang and Mi Heng, and they both thought: "What do you mean by saying this suddenly?"
Xianghou? That is already the second-highest rank in the Han Dynasty.
According to Wang Zheng's age, he can be granted the title of Marquis of the Countryside now. What else will he do in the future? After all, there is only one Marquis of the County left.
Then he asked: "Brother Dong, how do you say this?"