At the same time, the princes of dozens of countries marched into Beijing in parallel to worship the Son of Heaven, held an alliance, and at the same time rewarded and punished the merits, especially the old land of Yinxu to be feudal again.

This is the first time that all the princes gathered in Hojing after the first year of King Kang's great feudalism, and the etiquette issue made the entire royal court busy.

Normally, Ji Zhao is such a powerful minister, and he will definitely encounter speculation from people when he leads the army back to Beijing, but Ji Zhao has long been prepared, the concubines he selected for the Son of Heaven are all powerful princes and nobles of the maternal family, except for Queen Qi Jiang, the three ladies are all from the strong branches of the princes of the opposite sex.

Everyone could see that Luo Hou was trying his best to maintain the balance of power in the royal capital, which made the relatives of the Son of Heaven relax a little, those princes were really unwilling to fight against Ji Zhao, unless Taigong Wang stood on their side clearly, they had no chance of winning.

At the end of October, after a month-long journey from Yinxu, the army of the Eastern Expedition finally arrived outside Hojing.

The Son of Heaven Yun personally led the princes, ministers, and internal and external princes and ministers in Beijing to meet the triumphant Eastern Expeditionary Army outside the East King Gate of the Pickaxe Capital, Ji Zhao took the armor and sword, and bowed to the Son of Heaven in a military uniform, Ji Yun hurriedly supported Ji Zhao and smiled: "Uncle Wang has a great contribution to Bang Zhou Sheji, "The Royal Road" says that the Son of Heaven should respectfully treat the saint who can make the world rule, and you have carried the widow, this is the etiquette between father and son, and now let you salute the widow, which is not in line with the way of the ancient saint king. ”

Ji Zhao didn't insist, turned around and pointed to the Eastern Expeditionary Army and said: "Your Majesty, in the first year of the minister, you were ordered to go on the expedition, and tens of thousands of soldiers were willing to fight in a difficult environment, which was all due to the kindness of the previous king, and I hope to repay you one or two, the reason why the minister was able to make great contributions is due to the grace of the first king and your destiny." ”

Ji Yun pulled Ji Zhao to his chariot, and said as he walked: "The mandate of heaven is the saint, Uncle Wang is healthy, and the destiny of Bang Zhou is here." ”

The two entered Hojing surrounded by thousands of people, and the three armies returned to the camp under the leadership of the generals, and they were rewarded by the envoy of the Son of Heaven later.

Those who are eligible to obtain the fiefdom were brought to the palace, and the authority of the central court of the Eastern Expedition has been greatly demonstrated, and the people of Zhuxia who have the intention of rebellion have been completely defeated, and after the management of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the power of Dongyi has also been weakened, but the situation of the four Yi in the whole world is still quite grim.

It is impossible for the six armies of the Son of Heaven to go out all the time, soldiers, the major affairs of the country, the place of death and life, and the way of survival, no one can guarantee victory all the time.

In real history, the authority of the Son of Heaven fell to a large part of the reason that the six armies of the Son of Heaven were completely lost, and there was no military guarantee to deter the princes.

Ji Zhao was prepared to further strengthen the exchange of interests between the Son of Heaven and the princes at the time of this great feudalism, and that kind of simple tribute could not enable the Son of Zhou to obtain sufficient benefits when the princes expanded, which was not conducive to the stability of the Zhou Dynasty.

It is another set of rituals to worship the sky, Ji Yun is still young after all, the main process is completed by Ji Zhao, the princes have been tossed for a day but do not feel tired, this time the meritorious service is waiting for the reward, and those who have it are also resigned to fate.

When night fell, the palace was brightly lit, the sound of silk and bamboo was endless, and the sound of drinking and feasting was everywhere, so happy.

Following.

The Son of Heaven summoned the ministers in the palace, and the ministers entered in order according to the rank and the size of the official position, and after entering the palace, they all knelt and sat with solemn expressions.

I saw Ji Zhao standing on the right side of the throne of the Son of Heaven, this is the regent, and Taigongwang is standing on the left side of the Son of Heaven two sections down the steps, this is the auxiliary government.

After a series of visits, Ji Zhao asked: "Do you clan heroes know why Gu wanted to build a feudal state, but they are different from Xia Shang?" ”

Ji Zhao's words without a beginning or end made everyone in the palace a little puzzled, since ancient times, they have to reward the meritorious clans with land, this is a matter of course, is it still some special reason?

"I don't know, please ask Dazai to solve your doubts."

An excellent compliment is to answer in a timely manner.

Ji Zhao said what he had already thought of: "Feudal things, as early as the first king when Gu and the first king discussed, this is a major event involving whether Bang Zhou should be ordered by heaven, the first king once said to Gu, the mandate of heaven only comes to Zhu Xia's body, the world is the land that God has given Zhu Xia to survive, but a large amount of fertile land is occupied by Yi Di, Xia Shang is not good for Yi Di, the mandate of heaven will decay, the first king and Gu are worried that Bang Zhou will follow in the footsteps of Xia Shang. ”

It was the first time that everyone in the hall had heard this statement, but if you think about it carefully, wasn't Yin Shang replaced by Bang Zhou because he couldn't properly deal with the Dongyi tribe and consumed a large number of troops?

Of course, what made them believe the most was that Ji Zhao moved the first king out, and the first king Chengtian's order was recognized by everyone.

"Four years ago, the lone generation did royal affairs, practiced feudalism in this palace, rewarded clansmen, meritorious heroes, and descendants of the previous dynasty, and the Son of Heaven rewarded them with land, population, and goods, hoping to rule the people of Yidi with the monarch of Zhuxia, and eventually turn razed into Xia, so that the mandate of our Bang Zhou will be extended.

However, they did not want to repay the grace of the Son of Heaven, and conquered the barbarians who did not obey the king, but rebelled and caused trouble, which caused the strength of Zhuxia to weaken, and finally Heaven punished them.

If the most severe punishment is not imposed on the rebels, how can the merits of the loyal servants be revealed?

The beginning of "The Royal Road" is 'Wang Ye is not partial, Xia Yi is not two-sided!' I hope that you can firmly remember the identity of the princes of Bang Zhou and use Zhou rites to rule the people.

If he can't do it, the Son of Heaven will never let go of anyone who affects the destiny of Bang Zhou, demote him to the lord and seize the land according to his fault, and even take away the title and remove the country, and even take back his surname and degrade him to a concubine, so that he will have no face to see his ancestors after his death. ”

Deprive the surname and degrade to a concubine!

Everyone has a kinship, the surname is the source of their bloodline, the clan is the symbol of their dignity, once these two are deprived, they become lonely ghosts, in this era of blood aristocracy, no official position will fall on their heads, unless the Son of Heaven has mercy, otherwise the world is big, there will be no resurrection.

At this time, everyone put the fight against Yidi in the position of the first priority of the feudal country, which is exactly what Ji Zhao is happy to see.

From the perspective of later generations, the contribution of the Zhou Dynasty was simply unparalleled, with hundreds of armed colonial groups attacking everywhere and almost exterminating other cultural tribes in the entire Central Plains, and all of them were unified under the co-lord of Zhou Tianzi, forming a cultural identity for hundreds of years.

It laid a very solid foundation for the subsequent unification of the Qin and Han dynasties.

The sub-feudal system is very suitable for the current era, and what Ji Zhao has to do is to greatly strengthen the cultural exchanges between the vassal states on the original basis, so that all the princes will identify with the identity of Zhuxia, and let all the princes who collude with foreign clans laugh at the world.

"Lone compiled the three books of "Zhou Li", "The Royal System", and "The Royal Road" to teach the Son of Heaven, and the book "Zhou Li" is the foundation of the state and Zhou, and the princes must study it carefully in order to serve the Son of Heaven wholeheartedly."

Ji Zhao held up a piece of white silk cloth to signal to everyone: "The feudalism in the first year only got its shape, not its god, so there are four thieves Yin and Yang rebellion, disrespect to the heavens, and scourge the common people, resulting in the involution of swords and soldiers, killing and dignifying, and today it will be re-established, and from then on, the yin and yang of heaven will be orderly, and the princes must act according to the system, and they cannot be overcome, so that our state and Zhou will always enjoy the mandate of heaven, and you can also enjoy wealth forever." ”

After Ji Zhao's adjustment of the sub-feudal system, it was finally freshly released, first in order to demonstrate the grace of Bang Zhou, and the system of two kings and three kes was proposed.

The descendants of the three kings of Yao Shun Yu were previously feuded, only the descendants of King Yu retained the title of Duke Qi, and then the title of Duke of Song was inherited by the brother of King Can, but the fief of the Song State was greatly reduced, Ji Zhao gave him the three old clans of Yin Shang, so that he could appease the remaining remnants of Yin Shang, Zi Can was very grateful, he didn't care about the size of the land title, but this time the division proved that the Zhou Dynasty would really not kill the remnants of Yin Shang again.

After that, the descendants of the Yellow Emperor, Yao, and Shun were sealed in Zhu, Tang, and Chen, all of whom were marquises, second to the two kings.

Of course, although the title is high, the position is not good, and they are all placed next to the powerful princely states surnamed Ji by Ji Zhao.

But of course, the princes didn't care about this, after all, it was a free benefit, and even the descendants of Yin Shang could still enjoy a piece of land.

After the false seal

"The Marquis of Qi, the Marquis of Yan, the Marquis of Bao, and the Marquis of Hui stepped forward to listen to the seal."

The four marquis who were not close to each other hurriedly got up, and only Taigongwang knew what Ji Zhao wanted to do, after all, among the four marquis, only the Marquis of Qi was in power in Wangji, and the other three were all sealed in the frontier.

"The minister is here!"

The four people pointed out by Ji Zhao, needless to say, one of the three dukes, is the only person who can fight against him in the eyes of the princes and ministers, and the other three are the younger brothers of King Wu, because they are concubines, so they were enshrined in remote places, but in the past four years, the conquest of Yidi has been quite effective, and they are all relatively powerful branches of the clan surnamed Ji today.

"Heaven and earth have four sides and eight poles, and the Son of Heaven is in the center and commands the four directions, but it is unforgivable that Yidi is constantly pouring in on all sides.

Qi, Yan, Bao, and Hui are the strong branches of the Zhuxia nations, and the Son of Heaven wants to manifest the Mandate of Heaven in all directions and spread the etiquette and culture of Bang Zhou, so he orders you to conquer Dongyi, Xirong, Beidi, and Nanban.

The Son of Heaven has given you the scepter of his own symbolism, the symbol of war, and has given you the right to convene an alliance of princes every March, and to crown the four of you as 'ordained by the king.'"

At the beginning of the book of the princes of the alliance, it was stated that "by the king's order" was added to the title of honorific title, and the position was the same as that of the three dukes.

In January of each year, you are to send messengers to the Son of Heaven to present your captives and goods, and the Son of Heaven will reward you according to your merits, and the Son of Heaven will send historians to the Four Kingdoms to record your history and the information of the alliance of the princes.

'Ordered by the king' to move every five years, if the meritorious service is acceptable, you can continue to receive the title, if the merit is not enough for several years, it will be taken back by the Son of Heaven and transferred to the rest of the princes. ”

Everyone in this palace couldn't sit still, and the four marquis gained the power to conquer the barbarians, which meant that they were the lords of the four directions.

The so-called major affairs of the country are enshrined in Rong, and there are words, only names and instruments, and no dummies.

The Son of Heaven transferred part of the power of conquest and the power of the title to the princes at this time, which was really unexpected by everyone.

But in Ji Zhao's view, not to mention that the four-town princes system can effectively unify all aspects of the army and strike at the barbarians, and it is impossible for the princes of the four towns to threaten Zhou Tianzi within a hundred years.

Moreover, after all, Luo Guo is one of the vassal states, and it is also the foundation for Ji Zhao to settle down for hundreds of years, and it is not necessarily good for the Son of Heaven to be too strong.

After the initial shock, the princes below the earl began to think about whether if they did not go to the alliance, would they invite retaliation?

The four marquis are also thinking about the impact of this policy, the fief of Yanhou is in the far northeast, and the fief of Huihou is in the south of the Great River, which is very far away from the capital of Hao, and there are not many feudal countries around, and most of them are the country of sons and men of the opposite sex.

The western dog Rong is strong, and it has always been the six armies of the Son of Heaven to fight with it, and the Son of Heaven has divided the four Hou states surnamed Ji in the west of Wang Ji, but whether it can resist the power of the dog Rong, no one is sure, if the battle is unfavorable, resulting in the Son of Heaven sending troops, it will definitely be questioned by the Son of Heaven, among the four marquis, the pressure of the Hou is the greatest, and at least half of the burden of defending Wang Ji in the future will be on him.

The situation of the Marquis of Qi is relatively good, Dongyi has always been the key target, Qi has been fighting since the founding of the country, but the eastern feudals are the most, almost half of the princes are divided in the east, if they can be unified, the influence of Qi can be expanded instantly.

But it is precisely because of the importance of the east that several important princes are also here, such as the old Song State of Yin Shang, if the Duke of Song participates in the alliance, although he is ordered by the king to be the same as the three dukes, but the lord of the Song State is the real three dukes, and the strength is strong, plus the status is already up and down, can the Marquis of Qi still sit on the throne?

What's more, there is Luoguo, one of the powerful countries surnamed Ji today, which is also a big country in the east, and the distance from Qi is not even too far, although Ji Zhao is not in the country, but who can ignore it, the two countries are next to each other, who is willing to bow his head?

Luoyi is also under construction, even if the State of Qi can suppress the two kingdoms of Song and Luo by relying on the orders of the king, can it still defeat the Son of Heaven?

Although each has its own ideas, the four marquis naturally will not give up the opportunity given by the Son of Heaven to unify the princes, and the other marquis also want to obtain the title of "ordered by the king".

The four marquis shook their heads in unison, took the scepter symbolizing the conquest from the attendant's hand, and returned to the queue.

"When I was fighting in the Lonely East, I saw that the wine vessels and ritual vessels of all countries were chaotic and disorderly.

In the old years, Wang Yu cast Jiuding, suppressed Kyushu, Jiuding inherited the mandate of heaven, it is the king's ritual, the princes use Jiuding, what kind of ritual should the king use? The king is a person who carries the heavens, so sacrificing to the heavens, isn't it the princes who trespass into the artifact and try to rebel? ”

Ji Zhao's voice sounded relatively calm, this situation was very common in the era when Zhou Li had not yet appeared, but Ji Zhao could not tolerate it.

The disorder of the ruling class will bring about the instability of the rule, which is the biggest variable for him to clear the game, and only a stable political situation is the most beneficial for him.

"In view of this situation, everyone must read the compilation of "Zhou Li", which includes clothing, palaces, diet, utensils, carriages and horses, musical instruments, from life to death, everything is in the rules and regulations, and when you return to the country, you must pass on the convenience of the people, if there is a person who exceeds the rules in the future, in an instant, the Son of Heaven issued an order, and the world will attack it together, seize the lord and remove the country, degraded to a concubine, and divide the corpse of five horses!"

Five horses split into corpses!

This kind of torture is not used at the rank of scholar or above, so it is no wonder that he should be demoted to a commoner.

Ji Zhao considered it a successful court meeting, and the ruling group of Bang Zhou passed the state policy for the next few decades with great efficiency, and the entire dynasty walked in history as he hoped.

The princes returned to their fiefdoms with the people and goods rewarded by the Son of Heaven.

The people of Wangji left the crowded land and served in the vassal states, and the best of them were even able to become vassals of the princes.

All of us in Bang Zhou have a bright future.

And Ji Zhao sat in Wang Ji, and as the luck point slowly grew, he taught Ji Yun the way to be the king, silently watching the news of the princes from all over the country.