In the spring of the third year of his reign, Fu Shen was promoted to Jingguo Duke and granted the title of Upper Column State General. Shortly after being enfeoffed, he requested to resign from his Northern Yan commander position, citing a recurrence of leg disease.
The Northern Yan army had already been reorganized by Fu Shen the previous September when they recaptured the three passes. The army was divided into four, stationed in four states, each led by a Northern Yan general. Fu Shen no longer commanded troops, transferring most military affairs to Yu Qiaoting.
Originally, the Northern Yan cavalry was considered a unified army, but after the split, according to the new law, each of the four generals was equivalent to a regional commander. The Emperor was exasperated. Even after Fu Shen’s resignation, the matter was not settled, and he forcibly expanded the Northern Yan military officials entering the court from two to eight.
After much negotiation, they finally decided: each of the four Northern Yan states would send one representative to the court. Additionally, although Fu Shen no longer commanded troops, he would still enter the court as Northern Yan’s military commander.
The Tianfu Army would be under imperial control, with Yan Xiaohan entering as Tianfu Army Commander.
Thus, from the eight northern states, five central states, six southern states, one southwestern state, the East Sea naval force, Tianfu Army, and eight original Jinling officials, a total of forty-eight court officials formed the new core of the Great Zhou dynasty.
The new system was taking shape, quietly moving in the best possible direction – except in the Southwest.
Western Ping Prefecture King Duan Guihong was the first to propose “self-preservation” and followed through, subsequently having no contact with the Central Plains.Now, with the imperial court restored and new policies implemented, the Southwest remained silent.
The Emperor had sent envoys to negotiate with the Southwest but never even met Duan Guihong. Back and forth, the Southwest’s attitude was clear. The Western Ping King was prepared to resist the imperial court to the end.
With this missing piece, it became a fishbone stuck in the throat of the Emperor, whose vanity had been inflated by the north-south unification.
