Since Daxu achieved results by enfeoffing the countries in the central region, he began to implement the enfeoffment of the entire region.
On September 8th, the nine states of Dongtai were enfeoffed, and thirty-six states were enfeoffed by imperial decree, and thirteen states recognized its suzerainty status; on September 12th, seven states of Western Shu were enfeoffed, and twenty-eight states were enfeoffed by imperial edict, and nine states recognized its suzerainty status; On September 18, ten states in the southern border were enfeoffed, and thirty-nine states were enfeoffed by imperial decree. Only ten states recognized his status as suzerain.
The enfeoffment outside the Central Territory was far lower than the court's expectations.
Except for some vassals of royal family members and loyal ministers, most of those who accepted the enfeoffment and were willing to recognize the Daxu Clan were not powerful vassals.
The lords of these vassal towns either lacked the strength and needed status, or they had no ambition and only wanted stability...
With the revival of spiritual energy, all Fulong sects are rushing to the end. All Qianlong with a solid foundation understand the pros and cons of accepting the name of a feudal country.
For Qianlong, the advantages are temporary, but the disadvantages require great effort to erase later.
Do you have to put a yoke around your neck and be restricted by "righteousness" from now on?
It can be said that the smaller the influence of Daxu Central Committee, the fewer vassal towns are willing to accept this feudal order.
Half of the feudal states in the Central Region can still respond, recognize the suzerain, and defend all directions.
When they arrived in Dongtai and Western Shu, they plummeted, and the trend of self-reliance and nation-building was very obvious.
No one cares about Jiangnan, and all the feudal states in the south are in Jinghu.
If these rich and prosperous places are like this, the situation in the north is even more foreseeable.
Because since the founding of Daxu, the status of the northern border has not been high, and it has rarely received policy favoritism from the court.
Outside of the central dynasty, there were many states, and the grassland vassal states in the north were the strongest. Every time a hero emerged, he wanted to go south.
There is a saying among the people in the northern border that Daxu only used the seven northern states as a barrier to dispatch criminals and resist rebellious vassals.
The trend of self-reliance and nation-building started from Liangzhou in the north. People in the north will never tolerate you.
But after all, it is a huge land of seven states with tens of millions of people, and it is impossible for the court not to fight for it.
On September 24, the imperial envoys arrived in the north and enfeoffed a total of thirty-five countries.
The land of seven states is divided into thirty-one countries. You can imagine how many one-county and small countries there are.
The three princes of Lingzhou, the land of Dezhou City and three counties, were granted the title of Linghou, which made them the largest country.
In the other six states, there were basically very few princely states, and most of them were princely states of sons and sons, which made the court seem very stingy.
Only in Dingzhou, due to the sudden rise of Zhou Bai, the three-legged pattern was more obvious, dividing the three great powers.
The governor-general Lei Haomiao was the Marquis of Ding, and the founding territory was a small part of Dingzhou County, Longfeng County, and Yongquan County; Lu Ding was Dingxibo, and the founding territory was most of Pinghe County, Xingyun County, and Yongquan County; Zhou Baifeng was granted the title of An Beibei, the founding territory of the country was Pingcang County, Ruinan County, and Biancheng County.
However, except for Lei Haomiao who accepted the title of Dinghou, neither Lu Ding nor Zhou Bai accepted the order. They did not need this status from the court.
Especially Lu Ding, who was very dissatisfied with the imperial court's move to divide Yongquan County. Just relying on the Dingzhou Navy to control a few ports, even if it occupies only half of the territory?
Zhou Bai didn't care much about how Lu Ding drove away the imperial envoys and how he built momentum in Dingxi.
He just felt that the title of Dinghou on Lei Haomiao's head was a bit dazzling. A person who was not a royal family or a prince could actually be crowned with the title of "state".
According to Zhou Bai's judgment, the imperial court's luck business in Dingzhou must be losing money.
No matter how prosperous Dingzhou County is, its population is not ridiculously large, with only more than two million. Adding in the hundreds of thousands in Longfeng County, the population of a princely state is actually less than three million.
Being granted the title of Dinghou in this way means that the court will have to spend a lot more luck. This is not in line with the actual interests of Lei Haomiao's loyalty and performance to impress the court.
It can only be said that either Lei Haomiao had an incredible backing, or the court wanted Lei Haomiao to suppress Zhou Bai and Lu Ding.
Zhou Bai can indeed understand the latter reason. Judging from the situation in the seven northern states, Dingzhou is the only state with only three powers in one state.
Even in Liangzhou, except for Liang Hou Zhao Qi, there are still four or five separatist forces.
The three kingdoms appear to be stable and balanced, but they are also the easiest to unify.
Because Zhou Bai and Lu Ding rose too fast, Lei Haomiao did not have the ability to influence the overall situation.
A country with a state can build a state tripod, which will completely cut off the connection between the state's luck and Daxu.
On September 25, the day after they rejected the imperial decree, Lei Haomiao and Lu Ding released news one after another to declare the founding of the country.
But Zhou Bai, who was well prepared and had clear goals, didn't have to wait at all.
…
On September 27, the first year of Tongzhi, a brand new country was established in the north of Dingzhou, named Anbei Kingdom.
It was normal to use the name of Anbei Governor. He did not overstep his authority and seize Dinghou. He just called himself Anbei Bo.
On that day, the entire city of Andu was decorated with lights and streamers, and red silks were hung all over the houses. All the people in Andu went crazy with joy.
No one expected that the monarch would set the capital in an inconspicuous county. Most people thought it would be three counties, or at least Pingcang County, a place of Longxing.
Putting aside Zhou Bai's decision to designate Andu as the gathering point of luck, if we really talk about the choice of the capital, Andu City does have many advantages if it is openly discussed.
First of all, Anbei Kingdom has three counties. Among them, Andu City is located at the junction of Ruinan County and Bei'an County, and there is a road leading to Baishazhou. The geographical location is very suitable as the capital.
By setting the capital here, we can take care of the three counties and promote the development of Ruinan County and Biancheng County as quickly as possible.
And whether heading south to Longfeng, north to the grassland, or east to Liangzhou, Andu City is a more suitable political center area.
In addition, in the simplest terms, Andu City was the capital of the small country Andu Country a hundred years ago.
The current Andu City has not changed much. The area is large enough, the city walls are high enough, and the drainage system is there. The buildings are the best in the county, if not as good as the county city.
More importantly, Andu City has something that the three major counties and cities do not have, and that is the palace left behind by Andu Kingdom.
It has been banned for hundreds of years, and it is decayed, dilapidated, and of no quality. There are even only a few buildings, which is very suitable for the value of the small country of Andu.
But anyway, having it and not having it are two different things.
Compared with warlord vassal towns, a complete country must pay more attention to etiquette. Many feudal vassals and towns have been delayed in establishing a country and becoming a king because the etiquette system was not prepared in place.
It is impossible for Lu Ding and Lei Haomiao to say that they are not worried about palace affairs.
Of course, due to the hasty preparation time, as of today's founding ceremony, only one main hall and one side hall have been cleared.
The main hall was used for court meetings between emperors and ministers, and was named the Zhongji Hall. The side hall was where Zhou Bai lived temporarily and was regarded as a temporary harem.
But finally, the dynasty had a place to open, and Zhou Bai's dignity as a monarch was not lost.
Early in the morning, Zhou Bai woke up on the sandalwood bed in the side hall, took a deep breath, and calmed down his mood a little.
It was also his first time to live in a palace and be a king.
At this time, the noise outside seemed to be heard inside. A female official appeared and asked softly: "Your Majesty, are you awake? The hour has come. Can you summon me to change my clothes?"
"Well, follow the procedure and pass it on." Zhou Bai glanced at the female officer and nodded in response.
Bang bang, following the clapping signal from the female officer, rows of maids walked in from the outside. They were all beautiful and dignified, holding clothes and accessories steadily in their hands.
There was no time to recruit eunuchs, but many palace maids were recruited.
There are people who come from major families, and there are also people who come from ordinary people and good families. They are all controlled by the clan and the Rites.
Zhou Bai did not forcefully change the rules, but only limited the number of people to ensure that there would not be a reputation for being extravagant and lewd.
As he slowly stood up, there was basically no need for him to move anymore. The maids had to wash his face and comb his hair, and he couldn't get involved in the dressing process.
The earl's crown uniform, which complies with the regulations, is very troublesome to wear. If Zhou Bairuo had a normal mortal body, it would take a lot of time just to practice walking.
Fortunately, although the three counties are remote, there is no shortage of officials who have passed the formal imperial examinations and understand the etiquette system.
Most of these maids come from wealthy families and are well-educated. After passing training, they can successfully complete the tedious dress of the crown.
Mianfu is the official uniform of Tianxia. It is usually a formal dress worn by emperors, kings, clans and other nobles. It is a representative of magnificence, grace and dignity, symbolizing power and dignity.
It is mainly composed of crown, Xuanyi, Shang, Bailuo belt, yellow kneecap, plain gauze singlet, red polo shirt, etc.
According to the level of the title, the rules for wearing the imperial robes are different. The imperial robes that can be worn by emperors and senior officials are Da Qiu Mian, Gun Mian, Yi Mian, Chun Mian, Hao and Xuan Mian.
In addition, the seal patterns embroidered on Xuanyi are also distinguished. The emperor wore a crown with twelve chapters on the most important and solemn sacrificial occasions.
The twelve chapter patterns are the most expensive, and they are sun, moon, stars, mountains, dragons, Chinese insects, Zongyi, algae, fire, powdery rice, 黼, and 黻.
Twelve chapters are used for the emperor, nine chapters are used for the royal crown uniforms from the mountain down, seven chapters are used for the emblems of the marquis and bomian uniforms from Hua Chong below, five chapters are used for the crown uniforms of princes and men from Zao downwards, and the imperial uniforms of ministers and officials are composed of five chapters. Use three chapters below.
The strict and cumbersome dressing system gave Zhou Bai a headache. Even the crown he wore could only be the seven-colored crown allowed by the title of Marquis and Earl.
But can he change it? Does not.
The biggest beneficiary of the etiquette system is himself, the king of a country.
Zhou Bai was fully dressed in the standard Qishai Crown Seven Chapter uniform. He noticed more fear and shock in the eyes of the maids and attendants, and couldn't help but think of a passage.
"Husbands wear formal attire, so they repay their merits and respect the virtuous. Therefore, etiquette respects the nobility and cannot be surpassed, so it is etiquette. People who are not the person cannot be obeyed, so it is obedient to etiquette.
Follow the rules and order things up and down. Those with weak virtues will retreat and those with strong virtues will be punished. "
When the Anbei Kingdom was first established, Zhou Bai needed a strict etiquette system to distinguish the superior and inferior within the system, so that he could concentrate his efforts.
Everywhere they look, everyone lowers their head and dare not look up.
Only a young girl wearing a plain robe with an eerie appearance appeared in the hall at some point. She looked back with a smile and walked towards him.
Zhou Baijin's solemn face relaxed, showing a bit of joy, and he calmly joked: "Yu Zhenren, did you successfully pass the test?"
Yu Yueyun looked around with her consciousness and found that no one dared to look here, so she frowned and whispered: "Today is your big day, the king of a country!"
"You are a real person, double happiness comes to your door, happy."
"Your Majesty, I am so polite here..."
After some whispering, Zhou Bai obviously relaxed a lot, and then Yu Yueyun straightened the collar of his robe herself before pushing the door open and leaving.
Outside, Zhou Lin, the deputy head of the Ceremony Department, his eyes lit up when he saw Zhou Bai coming out. He didn't think he was Zhou Bai's second uncle or something.
After paying homage with great ceremony, he said respectfully: "Your Majesty, the next step is to hold a ceremony to offer sacrifices to heaven."
Immediately afterwards, a group of personal guards escorted a carriage and came to Zhou Bai for him to ride on.
To worship heaven, we have to go outside Andu City, where there is a newly built altar. The distance is a bit far, and the bloated mian robe is not suitable for riding on horseback and walking.
When a country is founded and called uncle, it is natural to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth and ask for witness from heaven and earth.
In fact, it was Zhou Bai who took the initiative to sacrifice part of his luck to ask Heaven to recognize the existence of Anbei Bo Kingdom in Tianyuan Continent.
As the commander of the imperial guards, Qu Zhi personally drove the car. It is worth mentioning that there were five horses, and he also followed the travel etiquette of the monarchs of the Bo Kingdom.
"The emperor has six, the princes have five, the ministers have four, the officials have three, the scholars have two, and the common people have one."
At this time, Zhou Bai was dressed in imperial robes, looking extremely noble and majestic and unable to look directly at him.
When passing through the main street of Andu City, it was very lively and the noise reached into the sky.
The demon-suppressing soldiers standing on both sides hammered the iron armor on their chests and expressed their most loyal greetings to Zhou Bai, while the people in the city called for your Majesty...
"How many years have passed since our Andu became the capital of the country again, and we still have such a wise monarch ruling us!"
"Hahaha, the old man is so happy. You juniors don't understand what it means to be a king who can make the grassland tribes afraid to go south."
"The first country in Dingzhou, the day to unify Dingzhou is not far away. I hope your Majesty will rescue them as soon as possible..."
Because Zhou Bai wanted to have fun with the people, he often showed his face to respond. It took half an hour before he arrived at the place of worship.
Although there are still many people watching the excitement here, they are obviously affected by the solemn atmosphere and dare not speak loudly.
Under the towering altar, there were many soldiers and civil and military officials. They were silent, with their hands hanging down, waiting for the arrival of the Lord.
The sound of ritual music sounded, and each process was carried out step by step. The officials of the Department of Ceremonies strictly followed the ancient ritual procedures and did not dare to slack off.
The music stopped, and Zhou Bai walked up to the altar alone along the loess road.
There are various sacrifices, incense candles... an empty sacrificial tripod, and a stack of manuscripts placed here.
Zhou Bai also understood the follow-up process without being reminded by the etiquette officer. He first bowed to the sky three times, then lit a huge incense stick, and bowed three times again.
Finally, he picked up the manuscript and browsed it briefly, lit it, and placed it in the sacrificial tripod.
After a while, green smoke rose, and there seemed to be lines of text conveyed.
These manuscripts are articles written by scribes from the three counties, and there is also a sacrificial article, connecting heaven with literary spirit.
At this moment, the dark clouds parted, and a golden beam of sunlight covered the altar and Zhou Bai.
In the distant sky, there is purple energy coming from the east...
Zhou Baifu reached into his heart and said loudly to the sky: "The Great Xu has lost its virtue, and the world is falling apart... The forty-eight states have been hit by natural and man-made disasters in succession, and the people are complaining... and the enemy of Qingxu is peeking... This is a chaotic world that has never happened before in Tianxia." Today, Zhou Bai, the governor of Anbei and the general who subdues demons, has closed the heavenly scroll and looked at it. Relying on the power of his ancestors, he took advantage of the autumn of chasing deer and gathered the heroes and sages on his left and right. He established the three counties of Bei'an, Ruinan and Biancheng...
Today, the ministers of civil and military affairs, hundreds of ministers and the generals, have joined forces to persuade me to advance, respect the orphan as my uncle, establish the country as Anbei, and take charge of important events..."
