Cao Cao's words came out, the civil and military clubs of the Manchu Dynasty were stunned, the state pastor was originally a feudal official of the court, in the troubled times is equivalent to the existence of the candidates, so far, not all states have a state pastor, the court only enshrined a few state pastors, and now only Yanzhou Mu Cao Cao, Jizhou Mu Yuan Shao, Jingzhou Mu Liu Biao, Yizhou Mu Liu Zhang and Xuzhou Mu Liu Ze. After the death of Youzhou Mu Liu Yu, Gongsun Zan led himself as Youzhou Mu, and after the defeat of Gongsun Zan Youzhou Mu's seal letter has been obtained by Yuan Shao, Yuan Shao crossed Hebei Qingyou and four states, and called himself Ji Qingyou and Four States State Mu, but the court did not admit it at all, Yuan Shao purely belonged to self-entertainment.

But Cao Cao's mention is undoubtedly shocking, although Liu Ze occupies the two counties of Huainan, playing the banner of crusading against thieves and rebels, but from the perspective of the law of the court, Liu Ze's occupation of the two counties of Huainan is equivalent to illegal, Liu Ze is only a pastor of Xuzhou, and he cannot occupy the territory of Yangzhou for a long time without returning, according to common sense, the court should send a new Yangzhou pastor or Yangzhou assassin to act in Yangzhou affairs, and then the army of Xuzhou should also withdraw from Huainan and withdraw to their original jurisdiction.

But in this current world, the law of the court has collapsed, not to mention that Liu Ze has no intention of withdrawing from Huainan, even Cao Cao, who controls the military and political affairs of the court, has no idea of sending Yangzhou to assassinate the history, the two northern counties of Yangzhou are occupied by Liu Ze, and the four counties of Jiangdong are occupied by Sun Ce.

Cao Cao's mention is quite pragmatic, anyway, Liu Ze occupies Huainan and refuses to withdraw, so simply let this occupation be legitimized. Liu Ze was crowned as the pastor of Yangzhou, and he also led Xu Yang.

Liu Ze was also secretly surprised in his heart, although this Yangzhou pastor was just a title, but letting a person lead the state pastor of two states at the same time undoubtedly contributed to the trend of annexation among the princes, and legalized this merger. At first, Liu Ze didn't understand why Cao Cao would give him this big gift for nothing, could it be that Cao Cao would really be so kind? But after thinking about it, I understood the mystery of this, Liu Miao died of illness in Yuzhang last year, and the court did not appoint a new Yangzhou assassin for a long time. Sun Ce has been on the table many times. wanted to ask for the position of Yangzhou Assassin, but Cao Cao never agreed, so the position of Yangzhou Assassin has been vacant. This time, Cao Cao took the initiative to hand over the position of Yangzhou Mu (one level higher than Yangzhou Thorn History) to Liu Zelai, which will undoubtedly greatly stimulate Sun Ce, who could not seek the position of Yangzhou Thorn History. At the same time, the four counties of Jiangdong were also placed under Liu Ze's jurisdiction. For Sun Ce, who has always been proud and empty-eyed. Jealousy is inevitable, and it is even very likely that they will meet each other.

This is undoubtedly Cao Cao's ultimate goal, two peaches to kill three soldiers. Take an empty title and let Xuzhou and Jiangdong fight for your life, Cao Cao is really worthy of being a traitor! Even if the two sides could not fight, suspicion arose, and Liu Ze had to be on guard against Jiangdong and move his strategic target to the southern front to reduce the threat to Xudu.

For Cao Cao's wishful thinking, Liu Ze could only smile, if he really had the heart to attack Xu Du, then he didn't have to go to Xu Du so much to take the initiative to talk to Cao Cao, just sit in Xuzhou, and wait until Yuan Cao fought to the death in Guandu, and then attack Xu Du in one fell swoop. Liu Ze ventured into the tiger's den, in fact, he shook hands with Cao Cao and made peace, gaining time and space for his southward strategy.

Emperor Xian naturally didn't understand the twists and turns, but his mood was obviously good, Liu Ze was already his internal cronies, how to give Liu Ze greater power and territory, so that he had the strength to compete with Cao Cao, is what Emperor Xian has been considering, but he didn't expect him to bring it up, but Cao Cao took the lead in proposing it, let Liu Ze concurrently serve as the pastor of Yangzhou, and hand over the territory of Xu and Yang to Liu Ze to govern, which is also in line with Emperor Xian's thoughts. Emperor Xian nodded and said: "Cao Sikong's proposal is very good, I will play it accurately, and Liu Ze, the pastor of Xuzhou Prefecture, will lead the pastor of Yangzhou." ”

Although he understood what Cao Cao meant, Liu Ze still accepted it happily and said, "Minister Liu Ze is grateful." ”

Emperor Xian said: "If I remember correctly, the imperial uncle has not yet had a knighthood, Cao Sikong, I don't know what title should be awarded to the imperial uncle's merits?" ”

Although Liu Ze's official position has been rising, from the plain county order to the plain Taishou, from the state pastor of Xuzhou to the pastor of the two states, it can be said that he is stepping forward and rising steadily, but the title has always been a blank, not only the county marquis has not done it, but even the lowest two levels of Duting Marquis and Duxiang Marquis have not been done, which is indeed unique enough.

The official title can represent the size of a person's power, but the title represents the status of a person, after Emperor Han Xian proposed, Cao Cao said: "Liu Zhijun is very meritorious, and the minister asks His Majesty to add the title of Liu Zhijun as the Marquis of Wanhu to show his virtue." ”

The titles of the Han Dynasty were still inherited from the Qin system, which was a twentieth-class marquis, from the lowest first-class duke to the nineteenth-class Guannei Marquis and the twentieth rank of the Marquis. There are titles and no food below the Hou of Guannei, which is gradually lighter and not valued by the world. The liehou is also divided into five levels according to the size of the food eup, the lowest level is the Duting Hou, with 200 food eups; The second level is the Duxiang Hou, which is located above the Duting Hou, with 300 households; The third level is the pavilion, and the food is one pavilion or several pavilions; The fourth level is the township, and the food is one or several townships; The fifth level is the highest county marquis among the princes, and the food is one or several counties, among which the food is more than 10,000 households, called the marquis of ten thousand households, and the position is especially above the marquis.

Just according to Liu Ze's two merits of pacifying Yuan Shu's rebel thief and returning the jade seal of the country, Cao Cao could not have pressed Liu Ze's title too low, so Cao Cao gave the county marquis title of Wanhu Marquis with one mouth, almost far exceeding many of the current marquis.

In fact, Cao Cao didn't take this issue seriously, the size of the fief only represents the status of a marquis, and has nothing to do with the power he holds, to put it bluntly, the difference between a county marquis of 10,000 households and a pavilion marquis of several hundred households is only in the amount of tax income that can be enjoyed by the fief, even if it is a high county marquis, there is no power to take charge of the administrative affairs of the fief, not that you go to that county or township, this county or this township will become your own. Therefore, Cao Cao didn't care about the level of the title, and gave Liu Ze the highest marquis rank.

But seeing Emperor Xian's brows frowning slightly, he said: "When the first emperor was in power, the emperor's uncle pacified the Yellow Turban Rebellion and killed the traitorous male Zhang Jiao. Uncle Huang had rescued in the north in the past, spared no effort to defeat Dong Zhuo, and repeatedly made military exploits, and today he is to destroy the rebel Yuan, and return the seal to the capital, so that the world's meritorious deeds, if only the marquis, how to calm the hearts of the people in the world, I think that the merit of the imperial uncle is the merit of the community, and he should be crowned the prince to show his merit. ”

The prince is above the twentieth title, the early Han Dynasty ancestor Liu Bang was a great meritorious hero, many ministers who were not in the world were named princes, such as Han Xin was named the king of Qi, Yingbu was named the king of Huainan, Lu Juan was named the king of Yan, but later most of these kings with different surnames were stroked by Liu Bang, Liu Bang made a white horse oath when he was dying, so the former Han Dynasty and the later Han Dynasty have been passed down for more than 400 years, most of the people who were named kings are only close relatives of the royal family, and the highest title of people with foreign surnames is only to the level of county marquis, and the highest can be sealed to the land of four counties.

Emperor Xian proposed to crown Liu Ze as the prince at this moment, and even Cao Cao's civil and military forces changed their faces and were surprised. Although Liu Ze is a relative of the Han family, he is no longer a close relative, but a distant branch of the former Han Xiaojing.

Cheng Yu came out of the class and said: "Your Majesty can't, although Liu Yuanjun has a high merit, but since the beginning of the high ancestor, the prince cannot be lightly awarded, although Liu Yuanjun is a clan, but he is also a distant branch, not a close relative of the royal family." The minister thought that what Cao Sikong had just said was very true, Liu made the monarch seal ten thousand households, which had demonstrated His Majesty's kindness, and asked His Majesty to take back his fate. ”

Cheng Yu is Cao Cao's cronies, and Cao Cao is naturally the head of the horse above the court, Cao Cao proposed to make Liu Ze the marquis of Wanhu County and the emperor Jianyi to seal Liu Ze as the king, Cheng Yu naturally wanted to support Cao Cao's resolution and take the lead in opposing the sacrifice of the emperor. On top of the court, Emperor Han Xian was actually just a decoration, all government affairs big and small were determined by Cao Cao, and Cheng Yu and other Cao Cao's subordinates were even more unscrupulous, and they didn't put Emperor Han Xian in their eyes at all.

When he opened his mouth, many ministers rushed to support him, resolutely opposing the decision to crown Liu Ze as king, and unanimously demanded that Emperor Xian cancel the holy edict.

Emperor Xian's face became ugly, he knew very well that this was in the court, without Cao Cao's nod, he couldn't do anything, and named Liu Ze as the prince and king, not on the whim of Emperor Xian, but the result of his careful consideration, now Cao Cao is powerful, coercing the Son of Heaven to order the princes, if he wants to cultivate Liu Ze into his own cronies, only by surpassing Cao Cao's status, think about it, that is, only by making Liu Ze the prince king, it is possible to compete with Cao Cao. However, looking at today's frame, his resolution is at risk of premature death, according to past practice, as long as the will of the emperor is contrary to Cao Cao, it will inevitably be opposed by Cao Cao's cronies and ministers.

Emperor Xian, who was a little helpless, had no choice but to set his sights on Cao Cao, wanting to turn his words into holy decrees, but he could only let Cao Cao nod his head.

"Cao Sikong, this is not Liu Buwang but the legacy of Emperor Gaozu, now the emperor's uncle is covering the universe, the sky is extreme, the county marquis is no longer enough to show his merits, the emperor is a descendant of Gaozu Miao, if he is crowned a prince, it will not violate the training of Gaozu, I don't know what Cao Sikong wants?"

Cao Cao's eyes widened slightly, and he said with a smile: "What Your Majesty said is extremely true, Liu Yuanjun has meritorious service in Sheji, and he deserves this honor, and the minister thinks that Liu Yuanjun is the king, which is reasonable and legal, and the minister supports His Majesty's proposal!" (To be continued......)