Chapter 114

After the emperor’s enthronement ceremony, Liu Bei announced a massive overhaul of official positions that had been postponed until now.

Liu Bei had accumulated some of the merits of those who had made achievements. For example, after visiting the condolence delegation, he could have granted the title of Marquis, but he only granted the title of Marquis.

This was not because Liu Bei was stingy or due to political strife or checks and balances. It was simply because there were limits to the official positions he could grant.

But now that he was an emperor, not just a king, it was different. Unlike a king, an emperor has no restrictions on official positions.

Positions that he couldn’t grant as the King of Hanzhong.

Now, the highest positions such as the Three Excellencies, Nine Ministers, and Supreme General, as well as upper titles like Marquis and Duke, were within Liu Bei’s discretion.

The first name Liu Bei mentioned was, unsurprisingly, Zhuge Liang.

“Military General Zhuge Liang is appointed as Prime Minister.”

After Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong’s name was called.

“Military General Pang Tong is appointed as Grand Commandant.”

Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong, who had remained in the position of Military General, had a disparity between their power and the rank of their positions. This appointment resolved that after a long time.

“Secretary Yu Pa is appointed as Imperial Censor.”

Prime Minister, Grand Commandant, Imperial Censor. These were the positions of the Three Excellencies.

Originally, the Three Excellencies of the Later Han were the Minister over the Masses (司徒), who oversaw state affairs, the Minister of War (司馬), who was in charge of military affairs, and the Minister of Works (司空), who managed punishments and public works.

But as times changed, the Three Excellencies handed over their real power to the Secretariat and became honorary positions.

Then, Cao Cao abolished the Three Excellencies system of the Later Han when he ascended to the position of Prime Minister to establish his own power.

However, the Three Excellencies did not completely disappear. Cao Cao advocated for a return to the Three Excellencies system of the Former Han, consisting of the Prime Minister, Imperial Censor, and Grand Commandant, to solidify his rule.

After receiving the abdication from Emperor Xian and becoming the emperor of Wei, Cao Pi restored the Three Excellencies system of the Later Han.

But Liu Bei followed Cao Cao and adopted the Three Excellencies system of the Former Han. The purpose was simple.

To place Zhuge Liang in the position of second only to himself, above even Guan Yu.

With the addition of the position of Director of the Secretariat (錄尙書事), Zhuge Liang’s authority, overseeing both internal and external affairs, became truly formidable.

Liu Bei’s promotion of Zhuge Liang was the same in the original history.

It is rare for an emperor to directly inflate a minister’s authority. But Liu Bei did so.

It might be due to his firm belief in Zhuge Liang’s abilities and loyalty, but the true intention Liu Bei wanted to convey through this appointment was this.

‘I will leave internal affairs to Zhuge Liang and focus on external affairs.’

The Han and the traitors cannot coexist, and the Han imperial cause cannot be complacent in the borderlands.

A declaration of Liu Bei’s determination to continue the national policy he had set.

It was a measure to announce to all his resolve to unify the realm.

As if to prove this, Liu Bei immediately moved on to the appointments of military officers.

“General Guan Yu is appointed as Supreme General.”

The number one in the military.

The highest position commanding all troops was naturally given to Guan Yu.

Similarly, the Grand Marshal, who oversees the military authority of the state, and the Grand Commandant had varying hierarchical relationships and roles depending on the era, but this time it was divided only into Grand Commandant and Supreme General.

To put it in modern terms, Pang Tong’s Grand Commandant was similar to the Minister of Defense, while Guan Yu’s Supreme General was closer to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Compared to the complex mix of Grand Commandant, Grand Marshal, and Supreme General in Wei, this was a much clearer hierarchy.

“Left General Ma Chao is appointed as General of Agile Cavalry, and Right General Zhang Fei is appointed as General of the Household.”

The second and third in command of the military followed the existing order.

Until now, my father had been nominally below Ma Chao but was effectively the second in command. However, after the great success of the Northern Expedition, Ma Chao’s real authority also rose to match my father’s.

But in terms of overall power, not just the military, my father’s authority, who also served as the Colonel-Director of Retainers, was still stronger. Ma Chao also received the title of General of Agile Cavalry and was appointed as the Governor of Liang Province, but the value of Liang and Guanzhong cannot be compared.

After Guan Yu, Ma Chao, and my father, my name was mentioned by Liu Bei.

“Rear General Zhang Lan is appointed as General of the Guards and Acting Imperial Commissioner (假黃鉞) and Governor of Bing Province.”

General of the Guards (衛將軍).

The fourth-ranking military position following the Supreme General, General of Agile Cavalry, and General of the Household, along with the Four Direction Generals, formed the regular general positions of the Later Han.

It was also the position held by Jiang Wei when Zhang Wan died and Bi Yi ascended to Supreme General, and by Zhuge Chen, Zhuge Liang’s son.

Acting Imperial Commissioner meant that he held the imperial axe granted by Liu Bei, and Governor of Bing Province meant that he concurrently held the position of Governor of Bing Province along with the General of the Guards.

Of course, Bing Province had not yet been incorporated into our territory, so there were no actual duties as Governor of Bing Province. It was similar to the past positions of Wu Yi as Governor of Guanzhong or Yang Yi as Governor of Hongnong.

After me, the appointments and transfers of civil and military officials continued, but most of the important positions had already been announced.

While half-listening to the continuous stream of official position reforms, I sketched out the military redeployment in my mind.

‘Placing Ma Chao in Liang Province is a measure anyone can understand. There is no one more suitable than Ma Chao to quickly stabilize Liang Province and subdue the Qiang tribes. The supply of troops will not be a concern.’

The key was not Ma Chao but Guan Yu and my father.

‘Keep Guan Yu in Jing Province and entrust Guanzhong to my father.’

There is Wu Yi as the Governor of Guanzhong, but the Colonel-Director of Retainers is higher.

The Colonel-Director of Retainers, who oversees the Colonel-Director of Retainers’ office where Chang’an and Luoyang were located, had duties similar to other governors or inspectors but was of a higher rank. It was considered equal to the Chief Minister who handled internal affairs.

In any case, Liu Bei entrusted the two regions bordering Wei, Guanzhong and Jing Province, to his most trusted brothers. It was a deployment with clear intentions for the future capture of Luoyang.

‘If nothing unusual happens, I will only play a supporting role in the capture of Luoyang.’

It seemed that my role was to distract Wei’s forces.

‘By the way, the names of those deployed to Sun Quan’s side seem a bit low.’

Excluding the southern and western borders in contact with the barbarians, there are five regions bordering Wei and Wu.

The regions bordering Wei are Bing Province, which I will handle, and the aforementioned Guanzhong and Northern Jing Province.

The vanguard consists of me, my father, and Guan Yu. With the addition of Ma Chao in Liang Province for rear support, all the highest military positions are deployed.

On the other hand, Southern Jing Province and Nanjing facing Wu are somewhat weak.

The Commander of the Southern Army, who oversees the seven armies of Nanjing, is Li Hui, who persuaded Ma Chao during the siege of Chengdu.

He is indeed a capable person recognized by Liu Bei. His military talent is above average, as seen in the original history where he quelled the rebellion in Nanjing.

But compared to Wu’s Lu Xun or Zhu Yan, he seems somewhat lacking.

‘Southern Jing Province is also a bit weak. Entrusting it to Feng Shu… Wouldn’t it be better to swap with Wei Yan in Hanzhong?’

I understand that Feng Shu is the military officer Liu Bei promotes after Wei Yan.

I also understand the importance of Hanzhong, which can support both Guanzhong and Jing Province.

‘But no matter how you look at it, Feng Shu is too out of his league.’

Last time, during the Jing Province backstab, it took the combined efforts of Pang Tong, Ban Jun, Ma Liang, Bang Deok, and Wei Yan to stop it.

There seems to be a bad trend of underestimating Wu, including Liu Bei. Otherwise, this wouldn’t happen.

After successfully defending against Sun Quan’s surprise attack during the Jing Province siege and the death of Lü Meng, the vigilance against Sun Quan has weakened significantly.

Doesn’t this seem familiar?

Yes, that’s right. It’s just like Wei being startled by Zhuge Liang’s Northern Expedition after underestimating Shu following Liu Bei’s death.

Knowing how young I am and how absurd my position is, I have been cautious, but this time I felt the need to intervene slightly in the appointments.

I thought Pang Tong would not lower his guard, but perhaps he was too preoccupied with the great undertaking of the Northern Expedition.

‘Or am I underestimating Feng Shu because the historical records are sparse?’

Thinking about it, Liu Bei wouldn’t appoint just anyone as a commander. Considering that Liu Bei appointed Feng Shu as commander in place of my father, he might be more capable than I think.

If Liu Bei led the defeat by Lu Xun, it might have been inevitable for Feng Shu.

Anyway, I needed to properly assess him.

‘Is there any way to contact him before heading to Bing Province?’

But before my concerns could be resolved, an opportunity for me to voice my opinion naturally arose.

Around the same time Liu Bei declared himself emperor.

The news that Sun Quan had accepted the title of King of Wu granted by Cao Pi reached the Shu court.

It was a reversal of the alliance.