Han Shizu

Chapter 2154: Sejong 30: A Quick History
In the early summer of the fifth year of Jianlong's reign, after Wang Dan, Ma Huaiyu, Guo Yi and other old ministers and pillars, the Han Empire lost another pillar of state. Yang Ye, a founding hero and veteran of five dynasties, died suddenly in the palace without any illness at the age of ninety-two.

The death of Yang Ye was obviously a shocking event for the court and the public, not only because of his high prestige, but also because of the Yang family's strong influence in the military and political affairs of the empire. With the death of Yang Ye, it also meant that the last trace of the warmth left by Emperor Shizu in the world disappeared. Yang Ye was the last meritorious elder of the Han Dynasty who was of the same generation as Emperor Shizu.

For Emperor Liu Wenji, the death of Yang Ye made him feel extremely regretful. After all, Yang Ye was the minister who helped him ascend the throne. His departure somewhat deprived the legitimacy of Liu Wenji's throne.

To be fair, among the two elders who made the final decision and helped Liu Wenji to succeed to the throne, it was Yang Ye who made him feel completely grateful and trusted. In comparison, Liu Wenji couldn't help but have some fear towards King Zhao Liu Fang.

Many times in his dreams, Liu Wenji was afraid that Zhao Wangshu would make a call to depose and establish a new emperor. Even though the possibility was very small, it did not prevent the emperor from being suspicious and fearful.
There was no need to worry about Yang Ye in this regard, and even for the favor of the tripartite alliance in the past, Liu Wenji had to show special care for him. Therefore, Yang Ye was a high-ranking official during his lifetime, and he was honored with mourning after his death. It can be said that the funeral ceremony for meritorious officials was the most politically serious, grand in scale, and had the strongest response since the founding of the country, and Yang Ye was also the protagonist.

On the day of the funeral, the scene was so grand that many people sighed that no one in the current court was more prominent and favored than the Yang family. There were many meritorious officials and pillars of the Han Empire, but the last one to be so honored and aroused such emotion was the death of Linqing King Gao Xingzhou during the Qianyou period.

In the past few years, especially when Yang Yanzhao was still alive, the Yang family was the first noble family in the empire. Yang Yanzhao died of illness in the winter of the third year of Jianlong, and with the death of Guo Yi, the Minister of War, in his residence in the spring of the fourth year of Jianlong, the three pillars of the imperial army, who were once selected by Emperor Shizu, only remained in people's memory, and the history of the empire was turning over a new leaf quickly.

As for the Yang family, after the death of their grandfather Yang Ye, their prosperity inevitably declined. However, who dares to despise the Yang family for this reason? Not to mention Yang Yanlang, who succeeded Ma Huaiyu as the Privy Councilor, the emperor's attitude of favor towards the Yang family is enough to make people envious.

After Yang Ye's death, he was posthumously conferred the title of Duke of Xin. At the same time, Liu Wenji changed the titles of the Yang family. Yang Yanzhao's legitimate son Yang Chuanzhen inherited the title and was renamed Duke of Yanmen. He also gave Yang Yanlang the title of Marquis of Gang, which Yang Yanzhao had held during his lifetime.

The pattern of two dukes and marquises in the Yang family was also completely established, and was inherited by Yang Yanzhao and Yang Yanlang respectively. In the more than 70 years of the imperial era, there have been more than one family of meritorious officials and nobles, and for a long time, the Yang family was just an "ordinary" family. What was beyond the expectations of most people was that more than 70 years later, the Yang family could actually become the most noble family in the empire, even if this "first" might not last long.

Of course, this is also related to the gradual obscurity of other families. The Yang family's favors, in the court, are similar to those of the Zhao family of Rongguogong and Guangyanghou. But the Zhao family is no longer as powerful as before, and it is difficult to maintain its previous prominent status, let alone be mentioned on the same level as the Yang family.

The lineage of Zhao Kuangyin, Duke of Rong, declined significantly with the passing of Zhao Dezhao. More importantly, it faced a serious problem of thinning blood. In the fifth year of Jianlong, there were less than ten of Zhao Kuangyin's descendants still alive.
As for the others, they either died of old age, illness, or accidental deaths, or were killed by the regent Empress Dowager Liu E in Annan. Even the third generation Duke of Rong, Zhao Weizheng, was a mediocre person. Among Zhao Dezhao's sons, only his eldest brother was alive. He was nearly sixty years old and had no children. He had already petitioned the court to adopt one of his nephews.

Compared to the hardship of the Rongguogong line, Zhao Kuangyi's Guangyanghou line had a better life, but not much. At least Zhao Dechong, the successor Zhao Kuangyi had high hopes for, still supported the entire family, and had a much larger population, and still maintained a good influence in the political arena and the literati community.

However, there were not many outstanding talents. Zhao Kuangyi's second son, Zhao Deming, did show some talent and made some achievements in officialdom. He once served as the deputy governor of Jinghu South Road. Then, he was caught in the chaos of several years and was dismissed for corruption and dereliction of duty and demoted to a commoner.

The third son, Zhao Dechang, followed Liu Wenhuan to Annan. After Liu Wenhuan's death, he served as a key minister of government and was also the core of the Zhao family's fight against the regent queen mother Liu E. However, this man was too weak and his political skills were far inferior to those of Liu E. Despite having huge political resources and reputation, he was forced to retreat step by step by Liu E, abdicated, and finally died in Jiaozhi.
One more thing to mention is that the current situation in Annan, at least in the Jiaozhi court, is completely controlled by a political group headed by Queen Mother Liu E. This was accompanied by the death of Concubine Zhao and the suppression of the Zhao family.

During this process, many court struggles and political wrestling took place, which were just like all the power struggles recorded in history: exciting, fierce and cruel. After all, Zhao, the first foreign relative of the Kingdom of Annan, had several people killed.

Unlike the general power struggle, the authority of Queen Mother Liu E was established and continuously strengthened, and the court always maintained stability in administrative coordination. At the same time, despite the high pressure in politics, the economy and people's livelihood made great progress. The increasingly abundant output on the Red River Delta Plain also continuously contributed to the consolidation of the Annan court. On the other hand, the continuous rise of commerce, handicrafts, and foreign trade accelerated the rise and prosperity of Annan.

Judging from the growth of the core ruling population, among the Liu clan states in the north and south, Annan actually stood out, thanks to its unique geographical advantages and sinicization foundation.

After nearly seven years of efforts, Empress Dowager Liu E of Annan gradually eliminated the "central" opposition forces centered on the Zhao family and basically gained absolute control over the Jiaozhi court. Her next target was the two marquises of Wen and Wan states.

During the years of fierce struggle in the Jiaozhi court, the two brothers Liu Jiyuan and Liu Jichu made great efforts to develop their respective fiefdoms and accumulated considerable strength, almost covering the four southwestern states. Their dissatisfaction and threats to the Jiaozhi court became increasingly serious.

Of course, compared with the enemies within the court, the threat posed by the two brothers whose bloodline was in doubt was not particularly feared by Liu E. What was more troublesome was that it would be difficult to solve the "two marquises problem" by political means alone. At the same time, the attitude of the imperial center had to be considered. After all, the brothers Liu Jiyuan and Liu Jichu were still in the imperial clan genealogy.
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In the fifth year of Jianlong, the Han Empire was undergoing renewal and transformation in all aspects, with personnel change being the most notable feature. After the "aristocratic politics" of the Pingkang-Duangong era, by the fifth year of Jianlong, commoner bureaucrats represented by Kou Zhun, Zhang Zhibai, Wang Qinruo, Ding Wei, and Chen Yaozuo once again took control of the court.

This is a process of rise and fall, and it is also related to the withdrawal of a large number of powerful old nobles from the stage of history. In fact, the combination of the noble group and the imperial system is deeply rooted, and its influence on the imperial military and politics is also all-round. Across the country, there are still a large number of key positions occupied by the descendants of meritorious officials and nobles, and more bureaucrats hold important positions as "disciples" of the nobles.

However, at the core level of the empire, the nobles retreat and the common people advance, which is a trend. At least it is the first time in more than half a century that Yang Yanlang, Han Chengjun and Cao Wei are the only three people who speak out for them. Therefore, it is normal for some people to lie dormant before another group of talented people rise up and take power.

During this period, the emperor made a move that caused dissatisfaction among the nobles. On the surface, it was just an appointment, regarding the appointment of the Minister of War after Guo Yi, but Liu Wenji did not follow the usual practice of choosing from among the nobles, but promoted another commoner bureaucrat, Zhang Jian, the governor of Shanyang.

Zhang Jian, whose courtesy name was Zhongbao, was a native of Wanping, Youzhou. He was the top scholar in the fourth year of Yongxi. He served successively as Imperial Censor, Magistrate of Yongchang, Prefect of Qingzhou, Judge of Luoyang Prefecture, and Transport Commissioner of Hebei. He was a top figure among the many famous officials of Yongxi.

With a rich resume and outstanding talents, there was no need to worry about whether Zhang Jian's talents were sufficient to take on the position of Minister of War. He was not a civil official who was completely ignorant of military affairs. He had served as the Inspector General of the Northwest and presided over the suppression of bandit rebellion in Qinghai.

However, the post of Minister of War was not just a matter of military and political ability. According to the rules formed since the time of Emperor Taizu, one had to take his identity into consideration. Specifically, he had to be from the military, and later it developed to the point where he had to be from a noble family with military merit.

Although it is only an implicit rule formed among the upper echelons of the court over a long period of time and has not been clearly summarized into regulations in "Han System" and "Huidian", this kind of consensus reached between the upper and lower levels is often more binding than those systems written in articles.

All along, no matter how fierce and extensive the political struggles among the upper echelons of the court, the two posts of Privy Councilor and Minister of War have always been held by ministers of military or noble origin, and this has never changed for more than half a century.

It can be said that the Privy Council and the Minister of War were the private domains of the military aristocracy of the Han Empire, and they were the guarantee of their right to speak in the court. There might be life-and-death struggles among them, but the overall interests would never be violated. Moreover, this model also played an important role in the stability and security of the empire during special periods.

Liu Wenji's act of employing Zhang Jian was obviously an act of violating the unspoken rules, which would inevitably offend the noble class, especially arouse the dissatisfaction of the military nobles who still held the right to speak in the imperial army, and would also inevitably cause a backlash.

Liu Wenji was a cautious person who always made plans before taking action. He was certainly aware of the so-called unspoken rules and the repercussions and even resistance that appointing Zhang Jian would cause, but he still did it and was extremely determined.

There are naturally many reasons for this. On the one hand, strengthening his control and influence over the army is one aspect. The Ministry of War, which is in charge of the logistics dispatch of the national army, is such a position that is not so significant in its role but is extremely critical. It is also a good entry point for Liu Wenji.

Of course, if Liu Wenji only wanted to seize military power and strengthen his control over the army, there was no need for him to promote Zhang Jian. After all, he could have done the same by appointing some of the sons of nobles and the commoner generals that he had been quietly and orderly promoting.

The fundamental reason is that Liu Wenji was dissatisfied with the pattern of "civil and military control" established since the time of Emperor Taizu. To break the unspoken rules, the old rules have their shortcomings and must be broken.

The so-called balance between civil and military power requires a balance, a balance between civil and military, between nobles and commoners. However, to be realistic, this so-called balance has long been out of balance.

There has never been a clear and standard boundary between power and nobility. Even Emperor Taizu, on the one hand, built and cultivated a group of military meritorious officials who were the pillars of the empire, and on the other hand, vigorously promoted commoner bureaucrats to serve as a check and balance. However, the balance ultimately achieved still relied on the emperor's own authority and means.

On the other hand, while the imperial nobles maintained a strong influence on the army for many years, their tentacles had already reached all aspects of imperial affairs. Shizu and Taizong were able to suppress this situation, and Kangzong did not care. It was not until Liu Wenji, when his throne was increasingly consolidated and his wings were already fully grown, that he decided to make some changes.

The appointment of Zhang Jian, a scholar, as Xiaguan can be seen as a test, and this test caused a fierce backlash before and after the appointment. Liu Wenji's special favor to Yang was also the pressure brought by this backlash. He also needed to win over some military noble families to appease the dissatisfaction within the nobles.
If Emperor Taizong's concerns during the process of governance and reform mostly came from his caution and tolerance, then Liu Wenji's many concerns and fears came from the fact that he had no choice but to do so because of the reality.

In the autumn of the fifth year of Jianlong's reign, Liu Wenji issued an edict to appoint Yang Si, the granddaughter of Privy Councilor Yang Yanlang, as the empress (Liu Wenji's original wife, Queen Li, died of illness in the winter of the fourth year of Jianlong's reign). Thus, the Yang family had two empresses (Kangzong's empress was the daughter of Yang Yanzhao), and the Yang family was unparalleled in the world.

(End of this chapter)