The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 178: Clan Disciples

"His Royal Highness King Dan, His Royal Highness King Min, Governor of Runzhou, sent someone to the dock to see you."

Less than a day after the fleet left Nanping, it arrived in Lin'an (today's Vung Tau City, Vietnam). Originally, according to the plan, except for a few naval transport ships that stayed here for half a day and unloaded some ordnance supplies, they would set sail immediately and continue their journey back to the homeland with the fleet.

But unexpectedly, King Min, the governor of Runzhou, who was supposed to stay in Jiangzhou City (now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam), arrived in Lin'an. He heard that King Dan and his grandson were on the ironclad ship "Beiqi", and immediately sent someone to invite them.

"Yes, I understand." Dan King Qi Weining was only wearing a piece of obscene clothing, with a look of tiredness on his face, as if he didn't want to get off the ship to meet the hospitable King Min.

"Where is His Royal Highness?" Qi Weining was about to turn around and return to the cabin when something suddenly occurred to him and he asked casually.

"Back to His Royal Highness Prince Dan, His Royal Highness the Emperor Sun has disembarked." The naval officer replied respectfully, but when he raised his head, his eyes subconsciously glanced into the cabin, and he saw a man lying on the bed inside. The naked woman's hair spread all over the head of the bed, and half of her thighs were exposed outside the thin sheets, exuding alluring whiteness.

"Ha, our Royal Highness is really full of energy." Qi Weining smiled bitterly and stepped into the cabin. As the cabin door closed, he also locked the whole room of spring scenery inside.

The naval officer stared blankly at the hatch, as if he was still recalling the temptation he had just seen in his mind. He couldn't help but lick his lips and swallowed a sip of saliva.

Royal nobles really know how to enjoy it!

That woman seemed to have been given to His Highness King Dan by a wealthy businessman in Nanjing City. She was extremely favored and was brought all the way from Nanjing to Dengzhou, and then brought on board the ship from Dengzhou.

Judging from this posture, she is probably going to take her back to Chang'an and hide her beauty in a golden house as a reward for her visit to Qin.

I just don’t know what the royal family will think after learning about King Dan’s move.

Since ancient times, how to manage the clan has become a top priority for those in power in various dynasties. The power of the clan can be relied upon to defend the imperial power, or it can also become a threat to covet the imperial power.

The Han and Jin Dynasties, which relied too much on the power of the clan, broke out clan rebellions, thus sounding the death knell for their own downfall.

When the Cao Wei and Qian Ming dynasties, which limited the power of the clan, collapsed, the clan could only watch and did nothing, and eventually perished with the country.

As for other dynasties, although they have repeatedly jumped in terms of restrictions and utilization, incidents of clans seizing power were common, which made those in power take a deep warning. In the previous Song Dynasty, there had never been a clan king usurping the throne - oh, that Gaolianghe chariot god was there Not in this case, he succeeded to the throne as the emperor's younger brother. Of course, it was also the best era for clan management in all dynasties.

After the establishment of the Daqi Dynasty, they gathered public opinion and continued to explore and discuss how to manage and control the clan. In the late period of Emperor Taizu, the clan management model was gradually established. Among them, the most learned model was actually the nobility of the former Song Dynasty. system.

According to the regulations of the Daqi clan, the princes and brothers of the reigning emperor are named princes or princes (regardless of one word and two words). The prince (prince) then chooses a person who will be demoted and named a prince (guogong). ), and the remaining heirs will be granted titles below duke or lower depending on the situation, and the same is true for the heirs of the county prince, which is equivalent to being demoted.

Of course, regulations are regulations, and implementation is another matter. The princes and elder brothers of Daqi are not directly crowned kings. Instead, they first conduct systematic and formal studies, and then pass a series of assessments to be awarded low-level titles. After an officer or general officer has made achievements, he will then be granted the title of Duke, Duke, Prince, and even Prince. The titles of kings and nobles will also be given the name of miscellaneous titles at first, and then gradually added to the big countries, until the title of the top title. title.

As a result, many princes failed to get the title of top prince when they died. For example, His Highness Prince Dan has traveled around the world, visited various countries, and presided over the compilation of several books on geography, mountains and rivers. He is quite famous in the literary world, but up to now he is just a prince with some title. Lord.

However, in order to provide a way out for the descendants of the clan who failed to obtain titles in the future, Taizu issued an edict in his late period, allowing the descendants of the clan to take part in the selection examination for government general affairs officers, pass the government's selection, seek an official position, and obtain a job to support themselves. salary.

But after all, they have clan status and there are some sensitive issues. During the Taizong period, an explicit decree was issued that placed certain restrictions on the appointment of officials by clan members. Military positions could not exceed the rank of general (lieutenant general), and they could not serve as independent generals. However, civil servants could not join the cabinet or serve as prime ministers, which was to prevent Their power and prestige were too high, which affected or threatened the imperial power.

The descendants of the clan are generally downgraded to viscount after five generations. If they no longer make great achievements or outstanding contributions, they will be demoted and no longer be included in the clan.

Well, that is, except for a national surname, there is no difference in identity from ordinary people.

Moreover, even if you are in the clan and have a title, the royal gold you will be given will be reduced by more than half every time you drop one level.

What makes the descendants of the clan even more criticized (fuck you) is that before ascending to the throne, the clan with the right of inheritance still needs to pass the royal examination. If the four bodies are not diligent and the five grains are not separated, and have no skills, they will just be a waste waiting to die, or have a bad reputation. Akira, I'm sorry, you can't get the title you deserve, so you can only continue to live on your laurels.

For example, the Dan King Qi Weining was granted the title of Duke, and could receive a salary of up to 20,000 gold yuan from the royal fund every year, allowing him to live a life of food and clothing, and an extremely luxurious life - of course, the premise is that he does not make mistakes , or cause some outrageous things, the royal family has never been very merciful in reducing titles and salaries.

After he dies, his eldest son can only inherit the title as a Duke after passing the royal examination, and the salary he can receive will be cut in half, to less than 10,000 gold yuan per year. If the family has a big business and a large population, life will definitely be tight.

As for whether there is hereditary inheritance in the clan, it is a pity that Taizu adopted a one-size-fits-all rule from the beginning. There is no hereditary inheritance in the clan.

Oh, that's not necessarily the case. As the great commanders who founded the country at that time, Cao Xiong and his family were named King of Lu, and they were also the top princes and queens. They could be hereditary and retire with the country. In addition, the inheritance method is also based on the traditional principle of inheritance by the eldest son. The other heirs are only named earls by edict, and they are killed in one generation. At the current stage, all the descendants of the Daqi royal family have to rely on mixed qualifications and performance to obtain titles. For example, the thirteen descendants of Emperor Taizu were successively granted the title of "Emperor" during the lifetimes of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong. Prince and county titles. But up to now, there are only three or five people who normally succeed to the title of duke or duke. They also include King Qing in South America and King Yi in Yinzhou (North America), which shows that the nobility of Da Qi is strict.

As for those descendants of the clan who were not awarded titles, they could only gradually become ordinary people in the country and disappear from the rest of the world.

Therefore, unless the children of the royal family are really incompetent, they will usually have a strong sense of crisis as long as they can remember.

As the eldest son of the heir, if you want to ascend the throne normally, you must develop an attitude of "study hard and make progress every day" from an early age, and you must not do some outrageous things. No matter how perverse your temper is, you must suppress it and hide it. He tried his best to restrain himself, so as not to be expelled from the royal family and refused to be granted a title.

Brothers who are not qualified to be heirs can only work hard, specialize in something, take the position of a general officer, or rely on royal connections to make a long-term career and accumulate considerable wealth for future generations, so as not to disgrace the royal family. of decency.

From this point of view, Qi's clan management is definitely much smarter than the previous Ming Dynasty's model of raising clan children like pigs. Not to mention effectively reducing the burden of supporting the future royal family, but also the success rate and contribution rate of the clan's children, which also surpassed what the princes of the former Ming Dynasty clan did by a few streets.

Faced with this extremely "harsh" clan management system, the royal disciples of Da Qi had no choice but to "roll up". Whether they are building a successful career or earning their own living, they are forced to learn something useful quickly, or develop their own specialties, so that they can continue to live a life of luxury and good food in the future, under the patronage of the royal family and the protection of their fathers and ancestors.

King Min Qi Weihao, the tenth son of Emperor Taiping, is only twenty-four years old this year, only two years older than his grandson Qi Zexuan. He was only nineteen years old when he was granted the title of county prince, which is rare among the royal family.

This does not mean that he has extraordinary talents, nor does he have accomplished any unparalleled achievements.

Gein, five years ago, the Safavid Empire of Persia sent a princess to Chang'an, hoping to achieve a marriage between the two countries with the Qi State and bring about a good marriage between the Qin and Jin Dynasties.

Looking at the royal children, only the tenth son Qi Weihao, who was nineteen years old, and the sixteen-year-old eleventh son Qi Weiyan were not yet married and could marry the Persian princess.

But considering the compatibility between ages, Qi Weihao was selected to marry the Persian princess. In order to show the nobility and dignity of the Daqi royal family, Emperor Taiping issued a special edict and named him King Min, skipping a series of royal examinations.

It can also be said that because Qi Weihao wanted to marry a foreign princess, it was a political marriage. He had to pay a huge "sacrifice" to get a title from a county king, which somewhat benefited from his wife.

Of course, as a royal child, King Min also had great ambitions. Especially after hearing that his old father-in-law, Shah Abbas III of the Safavid Empire of Persia, was seriously ill and bedridden, his brother-in-law Muhammad Libanda acted wisely and bravely. With the help of the Qi army, he not only led the troops After expelling the Afghan tribal rebels and defeating Tsarist Russia several times, there was hope of restoring the glory of the empire.

Although he is not qualified to inherit the throne of the empire, as a prince of a great country, he cannot just be a Taiping prince and make his uncle from a foreign country laugh at him, relying on a woman to ascend to the throne.

"Uncle Emperor, do you mean to unite with the Haxian Kingdom to plot against Cambodia?"

The emperor's grandson Qi Zexuan had just eaten a few bites of food and drank two glasses of wine when he heard the young emperor's uncle mentioning in a roundabout way that he would cooperate with the Kingdom of Ha Tien in attacking Cambodia. He was suddenly startled and couldn't help but turn his head and look around him. King of Dan.

This is going to cause trouble!

Before his position as Governor of Runzhou was in full swing, and before he was familiar with government affairs and people's livelihood, he was thinking about using military force, scheming neighboring countries, and expanding his territory, thinking that he could gain greater credit and power.

It is said that the Kingdom of Cambodia has always been submissive to Da Qi and has not committed any rebellious behavior. Why is it launching an army to attack?

"The Ha Tien Kingdom wants to extend its border to the Dasa River and bring tens of thousands of square kilometers of sacred land under its control to enhance the depth of its territory." Qi Weihao said with a smile: "In recent years, the Kingdom of Cambodia has With constant changes in monarchs and chaos in the DPRK, it has become difficult to subdue various domestic opposition forces. Ha Tien Yang believes that if he does not take advantage of Cambodia's weakening state to quickly expand its own strength, he will surely suffer the consequences when Cambodia becomes stronger. , endless disasters. However, the Haxian Yang family was worried that they were unable to do anything, so they wanted to invite me, the Governor-General of Runzhou, to jointly send troops to attack, and promised Prey Veng and Chai Jia to our Qi State. I thought, If Nhon Chau acquires the above two places, it will not only extend its sphere of influence to the middle reaches of the Mekong River, but also protect the northern part of Hung Chau (today's Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai Province, Binh Duong Province, Long An Province, Tien Giang Province, etc.) Safety."

"With Yang's greedy appetite, the Kingdom of Cambodia will be taken over by their Ha Xian Kingdom sooner or later and completely replaced." Dan King Qi Weining shook his head and said: "After that, Ha Xian's goal is probably to be located in the hinterland. The Kingdom of Vientiane, or Siam to the west.”

"In this era of great strife, when the strong confronts the weak and devours small countries, it can be said to be a natural selection and survival of the fittest." Qi Weihao said, lifting the wine pot and filling the wine glasses of King Dan and the emperor's grandson. He smiled and said: "The great river basin, with a little development, will become a granary land. If such a God-given treasure land is in the hands of the natives, wouldn't it be a waste of nature? Now, I, the Governor-General of Runzhou, have a population of one million under my jurisdiction. As time goes by, the population will continue to grow and the population will increase. If there is not enough land, how can we accommodate tens of millions of people?"

"Uncle Emperor, the Governor-General of Runzhou and the Kingdom of Ha Tien want to expand hundreds of miles of territory, almost pushing the border line to the vicinity of Phnom Penh, the royal city of Cambodia. This seems a bit too hasty!" Qi Zexuan said softly: "You need to know that expanding the territory It is easy, but governance is difficult. There are too many natives in the territory, and it may not be easy to naturalize and tame them. If you are not careful, it will cause ethnic conflicts and disputes within the jurisdiction."

"It's only a few hundred thousand mouths, but it's still enough to eat." Qi Weihao said nonchalantly: "How can these natives have any thoughts about the country and the nation? If you give them a few mouthfuls of food, they will be grateful to us, Da Qi. , Long live the mountain. Furthermore, consuming the natives is not a temporary achievement. There are large river basins, swamps everywhere, and dense forests. Doesn’t it require a massive population to fill and transform it? However, as a local governor, although he has military and political affairs, he It is his sole responsibility, but after all, the use of military force will inevitably be criticized by the senior ministers of Chang'an City. Therefore, after the emperor's brother and emperor's nephew return to Hanzhou, they must help me explain the matter in front of his majesty, and do not let anyone The pedantic people ruined the great things here."

"Is your uncle ready to take action?"

"That's natural." Qi Weihao said: "After the second crop of rice is planted in the fields in June, I will start to mobilize the local soldiers to gather. I believe that as long as the Kingdom of Cambodia faces the attack of the Kingdom of Ha Tien, In the future, they will definitely surrender to our Qi state. Maybe without moving our weapons and fighting, we can easily capture Prey Veng and Chai Jian, and expand hundreds of miles of territory for our Qi state."

(End of this chapter)