Although it was already late at night, the ministers seemed to have expected that Liu Bei would summon them, so under Liu Bei's summoning, the ministers quickly gathered in Liu Bei's bedroom.

Because it was not a serious court meeting, after the ministers arrived, Liu Bei asked the ministers to find a seat in the dormitory.

There weren't many ministers summoned by Liu Bei tonight, all of them were people worthy of his trust in terms of loyalty or resourcefulness.

Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, Shangshu Ling Liu Ba, Shizhong Huang Quan, Yizhou Zhizhong engaged in Yang Hong, etc.

After these ministers sat down, Liu Bei opened his mouth and asked:

"Today, the news can be conveyed to Jiangdong in only half a month."

"Zhu Qing thinks, how can Lone Dang reward Sun Quan?"

When Liu Bei asked his question, he looked at the ministers present, hoping that they could come up with a solution.

And after several ministers learned of Liu Bei's question, they began to think.

In the past, when Liu Bei was the king of Hanzhong, although there was a gap between him and Sun Quan in terms of identity, in essence, both of them were Hanchen.

Therefore, after the First World War of Public Security, Liu Bei and Sun Quan became allies again, which is reasonable and reasonable.

Sun Quan will not feel too aggrieved in his heart.

But now Liu Bei is the emperor and has become the new son of heaven of the Han family.

The Son of Heaven is the supreme in this world, and Sun Quan's original title is no more than a hussar general, and nominally Liu Bei is now Sun Quan's king, so such an identity gap between the two parties is not suitable to be allies.

At least superficially, the relationship between the two parties cannot exist in the form of allies.

This is a matter of righteousness, and there is no room for sloppiness.

But in fact, Sun Quan was a prince of one side, and he was in Jiangdong for his own affairs, so once he learned the news of Liu Bei's proclamation as emperor, his dissatisfaction was certain.

An important reason why Sun Quan attacked Jingzhou at the beginning was that Liu Bei became the king of Hanzhong, and his identity was higher than Sun Quan, which made him dissatisfied in his heart.

Now Liu Bei's identity is not only higher than him.

And according to the results of Liu Bei's reward for the generals today, Sun Quan's original Han hussar generals were all given to Ma Chao by Liu Bei.

According to Sun Quan's character, it is strange that he can be happy in his heart.

At present, the situation faced by the Han Dynasty is that there is a mortal enemy against Wei in the north, and there is Sun Quan, the "Hanchen" in the east, whose attitude may change.

Among them, the anti-Wei Dynasty is the national enemy and family hatred of the Han Dynasty, and the relationship between the two naturally has no room for change.

And once the Han Dynasty renews the Han Dynasty, the first thing to do in the future will definitely be the Northern Expedition.

Only by making the Northern Expedition against Wei as the national policy of the Han Dynasty can the legitimacy of the Han Dynasty be further strengthened.

So what Liu Bei asked the ministers was how he should reward Sun Quan.

Liu Bei's questioning is enough to reflect his attitude towards Sun Quan, that is, to give priority to appeasement.

In history, Liu Bei said that the first thing he did after the emperor was to lead the army to the east, and that was because Guan Yu's death made him lose his mind, and no matter how the ministers persuaded him, it was useless.

Now Guan Yu is alive and well, and Jingzhou has not been lost, so Liu Bei's overall view still exists.

And Liu Bei's opinion is also the view of most ministers in the current Han court.

After Liu Bei made an inquiry, Yang Hong, who was engaged in Yizhou governance, said to Liu Bei:

"According to the minister's opinion, it is better to crown Sun Quan as the Great Sima."

When Yang Hong's suggestion was spoken, there were not many expressions of agreement on the faces of the ministers present.

This is because Da Sima's official position is too high.

In the pre-Qin period, there was the title of the military attache of the Great Sima.

For example, the Yellow Emperor Sima Rongguang, the Western Zhou Dynasty Sima Jiang Ziya, and the Qi State Sima Tian Sui Tho.

It can be seen from this that as early as the pre-Qin period, Da Sima was a very high-ranking military attaché.

After Qin Shi Huang unified the world, he set up a taiwei in the central government, and did not place a big Sima.

The Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system, and in the early Western Han Dynasty, in the central court, Taiwei took charge of the position of Grand Sima

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After Xiaowu Emperor Liu Che in the second year of the founding of the Yuan Dynasty, the first four years of the Yuan Hunt began to place the Great Sima, with the great general Wei Qing, the hussar general Huo Qu sick and meritorious, the special plus number of the Great Sima, to crown the name of the general.

But at that time, Da Sima was only an official, and there was no specific seal.

During the reign of Emperor Xiaozhao, Huo Guang was in power in the name of "General Sima and General Lingshangshi", forming a situation of "General Guang in a decisive political affair".

After Emperor Xiaocheng ascended the throne, Wang Feng was the assistant of General Sima, "all political affairs are from the phoenix, and the Son of Heaven has never raised his hand"

From that time on, all the ministers who were appointed to the rank of Great Sima naturally had the power of auxiliary government, and sometimes even the same as the Son of Heaven in power.

After the establishment of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the official system of the Eastern Han Dynasty basically followed the official system of the late Western Han Dynasty, and the Great Sima was the head of the three princes and was in charge of the military.

Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu took the general Wu Han as the great Sima and Du Mao as the general.

Obviously, at this time, Da Sima is no longer a title of official, but a specific official position with a rank and power above the general.

Later, Liu Xiu felt that Da Sima's authority was too heavy and could even threaten the power of the Son of Heaven, so after Wu Han's death, Liu Xiu changed Da Sima to Taiwei.

By the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the three dukes had become a fictitious position, and there was another big Sima in addition to the three dukes, and the big Sima was above the three dukes, the Taifu, and the generals.

If the Great General is the pinnacle of human ministers, then the dignity and authority of Great Sima have even surpassed the category of human ministers and can be compared with the Son of Heaven.

Such as the former great Sima Liu Yu.

At the beginning, after Liu Yu served as the Great Sima, Yuan Shao even thought about supporting Liu Yu as the new Son of Heaven, which shows the status of the Great Sima in the hearts of the subjects of the Han Dynasty.

The current Son of Heaven Liu Bei is also called the Great Sima when he is called the King of Hanzhong, which shows that the status of the Great Sima is equivalent to that of the king.

Compared with the great general, in addition to the difference in status, there is also a big difference in power.

The general is at the pinnacle of being a military attaché, but most of his military power is in the hands of the central army.

If the general is out of the town, then the general's command of the army still needs to be specifically appointed by the Son of Heaven.

For example, the Eastern Han Dynasty general Dou Xian, such as the Han Dynasty general Guan Yu, Liu Bei deliberately stated in the edict that he held the festival to supervise the Eastern military.

But Da Sima is different, once someone becomes Da Sima, then nominally the military power nationwide can be mobilized by him.

What is the opening of the government and what is the moderation is a secondary power for the great Sima.

Those who have served as the Great Sima since the Han Dynasty, Wei Huo will not say for the time being, when Huo Guang and Wang Mang served as the Great Sima, they could directly abolish the Son of Heaven!

In fact, Yang Hong suggested that Liu Bei canonize Sun Quan as the Great Sima, which is also the best solution he thinks is under the current situation.

The reward is nothing more than three aspects, official position, title, and actual authority.

Sun Quan was actually a prince of Jiangdong, and his actual power did not need to be rewarded at all.

Before that, Sun Quan's official positions were hussar general and marquis of Nanchang.

Therefore, if Liu Bei wants to reward Sun Quan, he can only start in these two aspects.

And since it is a reward, then it must be to promote Sun Quan's official position up.

According to the Han military system, the hussar general is the general and the great Sima.

As for Sun Quan's title of Marquis of Nanchang, he is already a county marquis, and the county marquis is the title of the prince and the king.

According to the white horse oath of Han Taizu, it is impossible for the prince to be conferred on Sun Quan.

As for the duke, it would have been a good compromise.

But with the two role models of Wang Mang and Cao Cao, the duke has also become the standard for usurpers, so the duke cannot be given to Sun Quan.

Under such circumstances, Yang Hong thought that only by giving the Great Sima to Sun Quan could he satisfy and appease him.

It is only because of the particularity and importance of the position of the Great Sima that it is impossible for Zhuge Liang to agree to let Sun Quan become the first Great Sima of the Han Dynasty.

Not to mention, if Guan Yu knew that Sun Quan had become the Great Sima, he would definitely be the first to express his dissatisfaction.

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After Yang Hong's suggestion, Zhuge Liang immediately bowed and said, "Sun Quan was originally a relative, if he is crowned as the Great Sima, who will be able to control it nominally in the future?"

Zhuge Liang's words hit the nail on the head, and directly made Sun Quan's great Sima impossible.

Although Sun Quan's sister Mrs. Sun has passed away, she used to be Liu Bei's wife after all.

According to the tradition of the Han Dynasty and the Han Dynasty, the main criterion for judging whether a relative is whether there is a woman in the family who has been the wife of the Son of Heaven.

Even if the wife of the Son of Heaven has died or left no heirs to become the new Son of Heaven, the status of the relative of the woman's family will not change.

For example, Liang Ji, the general of the Eastern Han Dynasty, or the Mi clan of the East China Sea today.

Although Mrs. Mi is no longer there, in the minds of the ministers, the Mi family in the East China Sea is still a real family of relatives.

The identity of a relative originally had a special significance in the politics of the two Han Dynasty.

If Sun Quan is allowed to enter the title of Great Sima as a relative, as Zhuge Liang said, it is good that Liu Bei is alive, but if Liu Bei is not there in the future, then Sun Quan is nominally the first auxiliary minister.

Coupled with the fact that he was actually a vassal of one side, the newly established Han could trigger a huge civil strife at that time.

Now that Liu Bei is no longer the king of Hanzhong, it would be nothing if Liu Bei had been the king of Hanzhong in the past.

Anyway, the legitimacy of the above table is debatable.

But now Liu Bei is the founding king of the Han Dynasty, and every edict he issues is sacred in the Han Dynasty.

Therefore, it is better to prevent trouble than to prevent it, Zhuge Liang will not agree with Sun Quan, who is ambitious of the wolf son, and become the first great Sima of the Han Dynasty.

After listening to Zhuge Liang's advice, Liu Bei nodded, and he said, "The prime minister is reasonable."

Liu Bei's words were tantamount to vetoing Yang Hong's proposal.

After vetoing Yang Hong's proposal, Liu Bei looked at Zhuge Liang, and he asked Zhuge Liang, "What does the prime minister suggest?"

Before Zhuge Liang was in charge of government affairs for Prime Minister Liu Bei, his original identity was Liu Bei's chief adviser.

It was only later that with the gradual expansion of Liu Bei's power, coupled with more and more advisers joining Liu Bei's power, Zhuge Liang's responsibilities gradually changed to the direction of the great housekeeper.

But this does not mean that Zhuge Liang can only deal with government affairs, he knows almost everything.

Facing Liu Bei's inquiry, Zhuge Liang bowed to Liu Bei and then said confidently:

"The Han has two ancestors, and it has been more than 400 years since the dynasties, and the name of the Han Dynasty has long been famous in the world, and it is powerful in the sea.

Now His Majesty is practicing Zuo in the southwest, combining heaven and earth, and responding to the hearts of the people.

Sun Quan is a man of great talent, and he has seized Jiangdong, although the first battle of the public security has greatly damaged his vitality, but his strength is still not to be underestimated.

Sun Quan was the Han hussar general Nanchang Hou'er, the official was light and humble, and he was a subordinate of the ministers.

If His Majesty wants to reward Sun Quan, he can enter his general title as Taiwei, and the head of the three princes is enough to show his status.

As for Juelu, he cannot be crowned a prince. The throne of the husband and the prince went to the first order of the Son of Heaven, and his ceremonial rank was also chaotic.

If he is a marquis, the people of Jiangnan and his ministers do not have the righteousness of kings and ministers. If His Majesty excessively reveres his title for the sake of reward, and appoints his monarch and minister, it is for the Tiger Fu Yiye.

Therefore, Your Majesty can follow the old example of Gaozu and make Sun Quan the Marquis of Jiujiang and enjoy tens of thousands of food estates, and that's enough!"

After listening to Liu Bei's advice, a smile appeared on Liu Bei's face.

Both of Zhuge Liang's suggestions perfectly resolved his doubts.

In the political tradition of the Han Dynasty and the Han Dynasty, there is a very important criterion, and that is to have a story to follow.

What does this mean?

That is, whether it is the Son of Heaven or a minister, he must find examples from history to make a theoretical basis for what he has done.

Although the position of the Three Princes is very respected, if Sun Quan's personal reputation in Shilin is alone, it will definitely not be enough for the Three Princes.

But his strength is enough.

In the history of the Han Dynasty and the Han Dynasty, there are many stories of ministers leading troops out in the name of the three dukes.

As long as Sun Quan is appointed as a lieutenant, then nominally, Sun Quan is like those generals in history who conquered the Quartet with the respect of the Three Princes as the Son of Heaven of the Han Dynasty.

Once such an impression is formed, not only will Sun Quan's identity as a Han minister not change in the hearts of the world, but it will also strengthen the sense of belonging of the subjects of Jiangdong to the Han Dynasty.

And the position of Tai Lieutenant must be above the hussar general, so worshiping Sun Quan as Tai Lieutenant is of course a great reward for him.

Although the lieutenant has a high status, he is only a false position.

Therefore, it is very suitable to canonize princes like Sun Quan who have both strength and ambition.

As for the knighthood reward for Sun Quan, it was even more appropriate.

Although since the Eastern Han Dynasty, even if it is a feudal province of a county marquis, in most cases it is only one county at most.

However, in the Western Han Dynasty, the fiefdom of the county marquis could have tens of thousands of households, including several counties in a row.

At the beginning, although Liu Bang strictly ordered ministers with different surnames not to be crowned kings, he had no restrictions on marquises, as long as the emperor liked it, he could seal it as he wanted.

No matter how much the marquis had food, he could not participate in the governance of his territory, so he could not nominally form control over the subjects in his territory.

Originally, Sun Quan's Nanchang Marquis did not have many food estates, and Liu Bei added tens of thousands of food towns to Sun Quan, which was of course a big reward.

Most importantly, Zhuge Liang suggested that Liu Bei give Sun Quan's marquis the title of Marquis of Jiujiang.

Jiujiang was the old name of the original Huainan place, but now Huainan is in the hands of Cao Wei.

Therefore, if Sun Quan wants to really get the tens of thousands of food towns in Jiujiang, he can only knock Hefei and defeat Huainan.

In this way, as long as Sun Quan accepts Liu Bei's reward for him, then his next military campaign will be a fierce attack on Huainan with reason.

It's his food.

Zhuge Liang's suggestion of rewarding Sun Quan can not only be just right, reflect Liu Bei's legitimacy, but also achieve the effect of allowing Sun Quan to continue to attack Hefei and share part of Cao Wei's troops, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

Liu Bei looked at Zhuge Liang with admiring eyes.

Kong Ming is still the same Kong Ming, as long as he has any questions, it is always right to ask him.

The ministers present were also amazed by Zhuge Liang's suggestion.

A matter that I originally thought was quite tricky, but under Zhuge Liang's words, it was easily resolved.

It's just that Huang Quan, who was present, had a doubt, and he opened his mouth to ask Zhuge Liang:

"But what if Sun Quan doesn't accept His Majesty's reward?"

Huang Quan's question made everyone react immediately.

Yes, what I just said was the benefits of Sun Quan after accepting Liu Bei's reward, but what if Sun Quan didn't accept Liu Bei's reward?

Faced with Huang Quan's question, Zhuge Liang said with a smile on the corner of his mouth:

"After the First World War of Public Security, the people of Jiangdong were afraid of the champion, and Cao Ren's head could also be used."

When Zhuge Liang said this, everyone present had a smile on their faces.

No more doubts.

The ministers present bowed to Zhuge Liang and said, "Prime Minister Gao Zhi."

Listening to the praise of the ministers for Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei smiled in his heart:

Can't you see it, he's a Wolong!