During the Three Kingdoms period, Wei, Shu and Wu were in power. After Liangzhou was captured by Cao Cao, although Shu Han, Zhuge Liang and Jiang Wei made many northern expeditions, they did not capture Liangzhou again from beginning to end. However, when Shu Han was just established (221 AD), Liu Bei ascended the throne and became emperor, but he was also appointed as the General of the Cavalry, led the governor of Liangzhou, and was appointed as the Marquis of Yuyingxiang. Why is this? Why did Liu Bei give Liangzhou occupied by Cao Wei to Ma Chao and grant him the governor of Liangzhou? If you analyze it carefully, there are two reasons.
One of them is remotely , it is just a respectful title, and has no practical meaning.
remote and virtual seal system, "remote seal" means establishing "prefecture and county chiefs" on territory that is not controlled by oneself, and appointing subordinates as their prefectures and governors. "Final seal" means to enfeoff territories that are not controlled by oneself to military generals as fiefdoms. During the Three Kingdoms period, due to the constant battles between each other, remote lords and virtual seals were more common. After Liu Bei became emperor, his specifications were improved compared with the Hanzhong King period, and the official positions of civil and military ministers should also rise with the rise, and they were all "upgraded to three levels".
Let’s take a look at Ma Chao’s official promotion path. When he first joined Liu Bei, Liu Bei was nominally just the left general, Yuzhou Mu. He named Ma Chao the General Pingxi and ordered him to supervise Linju. When Liu Bei was the King of Hanzhong, he named Ma Chao the left general, fake minister . In 221 AD, Liu Bei proclaimed himself emperor and appointed Ma Chao as General of Cavalry, led the governor of Liangzhou, and promoted to the title of Marquis of Yuyingxiang.
Ma Chao was promoted from General Pingxi (miscellaneous general) to General Left (General Sifang), and then to General Cavalry (second only to General), with a title from nothing to something, and finally became the governor of the state. However, Shu Han had only one state, namely Yizhou, and Zhuge Liang had been appointed as the governor of Yizhou. However, Ma Chao was a big figure of the same level as Zhuge Liang, so Liu Bei could only choose one state controlled by Cao Wei and grant his governor. Since Ma Chao was born in Xiliang and had a high prestige in Xiliang, he was named Liangzhou Mu .
Although Liu Bei named Ma Chao the Governor of Liangzhou, Ma Chao could not take office in Cao Wei's territory. Therefore, this Liangzhou Governor only reflects Ma Chao's status, without real power, and has no meaning.
In fact, in addition to Ma Chao, many people were also granted a false title during the Three Kingdoms period, such as the governor of Yizhou of Cao Wei, Yang Fu , the governor of Sili of Shu Han, Zhang Fei , the governor of Jiaozhou Li Hui , the governor of Liangzhou Wei Yan , the governor of Dongwu Qingzhou Mu Zhu Huan , the governor of Jizhou Mu Step harp , etc.
Secondly, in order to show his orthodoxy, Liu Bei appointed Ma Chao and others as the heads of the governors of other states.
Before the Three Kingdoms, the orthodox court was the Eastern Han Dynasty. Although Emperor Xian of Han Liu Xie had no real power and became a puppet at the mercy of others, both of them were Dong Zhuo , Cao Cao, Yuan Shao , Liu Bei, or Sun Quan , they all recognized and recognized Liu Xie's identity as emperor. On the surface, they still had to obey the imperial edict of Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie, and knelt three times and nine times to him, but in fact they were against the emperor and did not take Emperor Xian of Han seriously. For example, Dong Zhuo abolished the emperor without authorization, and Li Jue, , Guo Si, and others put the emperor and ministers under house arrest. On the surface, Cao Cao welcomed Emperor Xian of Han to Xudu and helped him get rid of his displaced life, but in fact he used the emperor to order the princes to treat Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie, as a puppet, and issued orders in the name of the emperor to attack all disobedient princes.
After Cao Cao's death, Cao Pi simply jumped out of the framework of the Eastern Han Dynasty and forced Emperor Xian of Han to abdicate the throne to him, establish the Wei Kingdom, and Eastern Han was destroyed. After Liu Bei, who was far away in Yizhou, learned about it, after many inquiries, he could not find out the exact news about Emperor Xian of Han Liu Xie. It is rumored that Emperor Xian of Han was killed. As a relative of the Han Dynasty and the King of Hanzhong of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bei personally mourned Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie and posthumously named him "Emperor Xiaomin".
The country cannot be without a master for a day. It is rumored that Emperor Xian of Han Liu Xie is dead, and Liu Bei should shoulder the heavy responsibility and ascend the throne and become emperor. The one he established at that time was not Shu, and the official name was still "Han", which continued the Eastern Han Dynasty.He respected Liu Bang and Liu Xiu as the "Siwu Second Patriarchs" and ascended the throne south of Wudan Mountain in Chengdu. The year name was " Chapter Wu ". In the eyes of Liu Bei's monarch and ministers, the Han Dynasty did not perish. They were the successors of the Han Dynasty.
Liu Bei claimed to be the orthodox emperor of the Han Dynasty. His territory naturally included the thirteen states owned by the Eastern Han Dynasty, but it was not "recovered" for the time being. Therefore, in order to show his emperor's orthodoxy, Liu Bei appointed his civil and military ministers as the governor of the Wei State.
Conclusion
After Liu Bei was appointed as emperor, in order to show his emperor's orthodoxy, he adopted the remote leadership system and therefore appointed Ma Chao as the governor of Liangzhou. Although Ma Chao was named the governor of Liangzhou, it was a remote leader, without real power and no practical significance. Ma Chao still had no soldiers and powers and was not valued by Liu Bei.
(This article mainly refers to "The Three Kingdoms")
