The Sixteen Kingdoms of the Eastern Jin Dynasty: The Competition in the Central Plains

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"Pei Yi and his two attendants went down. After Pei Yi left the court, Sima Rui said:"He Xun's beloved passed away a few days ago. I and all the beloved queens are very sad. As the leader of the Jiangnan gentry and one of the famous"Five Heroes" of Jiangnan, He Xun played a great role in the establishment of the imperial court in Jiangnan. I plan to posthumously confer him the title of Sikong and his posthumous title of Mu."

"Your majesty is wise! Mr. Congratulations, you will definitely smile!"The civil and military ministers in the court said together. Sima Rui went on to say:"Long before I crossed to the south, Master He inspected the mountain topography and planned the river course when he was in charge of internal history in Kuaiji. He mobilized the local people to dig an artificial river starting from Xiling in the west, passing through Xiaoshan, Qianqing, and Keqiao to the county town. And it is connected with the original river channel to form a criss-crossing water transportation and irrigation network. Not only has the water environment in Kuaiji County been greatly improved, but it has also given full play to the role of Jianhu Lake. The criss-crossing water network enables irrigation, shipping, breeding, fishing, and military affairs in Kuaiji County to complement each other."

"Mr. He is planning ahead and looking far ahead. I can’t wait!"Several ministers below said. Sima Rui then said:"Please ask Master Mao Hong to take over the position of Prince He Xun and Tutor."

"I obey the decree! Director Wang knelt down to thank him. Sima Rui said:"Master Mao Hong, please rise.""

"Cui Ao had already fled to Goguryeo, and Xu Gong had gathered thousands of refugees in Jishui and Taishan areas, and had already conquered Dongguan. After I succeeded to the throne, in order to appease Xu Gong, I made him the Grand Administrator of Mount Tai. But Xu Gong felt that his official position was small, so he called himself General Anbei and governor of Yanzhou. He just frequently robbed nearby people, but Xu Gong also had an affair with Shi Le. This is detrimental to both Shao Xu and Cao Yi. I plan to send troops to destroy Xu Kong. Who can lead the troops there?"

Ministers of civil and military affairs below, you look at me, I look at you, no one said anything. King Situ led the class and said:"Your Majesty, I recommend Prince Zuo Wei and Yang Jian from Taishan to be the governors.

When Yang Jian heard this, he quickly knelt down and said,"Your Majesty, this is absolutely impossible!" Although I am from Taishan County, a refugee commander like Xu Gong has no sense of nostalgia at all. Moreover, I also lack experience in leading troops, so I am afraid that it will be difficult for me to take on a big position. Please ask your Majesty to appoint Gao Ming as the governor!"

Fang Bo Xi Jian, one of the eight uncles of Yanzhou, happened to be in court. Xi Jian came out and said:"I also think that Lord Yang Jian is not a general, so it would be better for your majesty to hire someone else. Director Wang still insisted on his opinion and insisted on appointing Yang Jian. Director Wang said:"Master Yang Jian is from a famous family in Taishan County, Xu Gong will definitely have some scruples." Moreover, Master Yangjian's father, Yangji, was once a Huns lieutenant general in the previous dynasty. How can a tiger like a general disgrace his life? Sima

Rui pondered for a while and then issued an edict:"Prince Zuowei leads Yang Jian to receive the order. I order you to serve as General of the Conquest and Governor of the Conquest, commanding the governor of Xuzhou, General Cai Bao of Jianwei, General Hou Li of Wuwei, and Linhuai." The prefect Liu Xia, Xianbei Duan Duan Wenyang and other generals will attack Xu Gong together, there must be no mistake! I will inform all the generals to set out on a day to attack the traitor Xu Gong!

Yang Jian had no choice but to bite the bullet and said:"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty!""

After the court was dismissed, Diao Xie, Zhou Wei, and Liu Wei came together. Diao Xie said,"There are a lot of things going on in the court these days. It's rare that I have free time today. Let's go have a few drinks!""

The three of them talked and came to Langya Winery not far from Taicheng. When they came to the door of the winery, Diao Xie said:"The last time I came here to drink was two years ago, Master He Xun and I came here. Now, Master He Xun has passed away. Time flies, things change and people change!"

A waiter at the door saw it and hurriedly came up and said:"Three adults, please come in!""

The three people nodded and came to the restaurant. Downstairs, there were several tables of guests eating and drinking, and some were making fists and giving orders from time to time. Liu Wei said:"It's quiet upstairs, let's go upstairs!"

There weren't many guests upstairs. The three of them came to a table by the window and sat down. The waiter came over and asked,"What dishes do you want, you three guests?" What to drink?"

"A plate of mapo tofu, a plate of boiled peanuts, a plate of pig meat, and a bottle of good Jiankang wine. Zhou Wei said. Liu Wei asked:"Three people, three dishes, is that okay?""

"That's okay. In these days of war and chaos, it's enough to have something to eat and drink. Diao Xie said. The waiter nodded and went downstairs to serve the dishes and get the wine. While the waiter was going down to serve the dishes and get the wine, Liu Wei looked at the people around him and said,"Why is Mr. Wang so special?" Do you want Yang Jian to lead the expedition? There are many people in the court who are talented in literature and military affairs!"

"Why? This is not simple yet. Yang Jian is Wang Dun's uncle, and Wang Dun is Wang Dao's cousin. If Yang Jian achieves military exploits, not only will Wang Dun be proud of him, but Director Wang will also be rewarded by his majesty for his recommendation." Diao Xie said. Zhou Wei said:"This time, Director Wang may have miscalculated. First, Yang Jian initially served as the governor of Dongyang, and later was gradually promoted to the crown prince's left guard. He did not have much experience in leading troops in war. Secondly, Mr. Wang Dao thought that the conquest of Xu Kong was too simple. These days, whether they are homeless commanders or dock owners, they are often cruel and cunning people. How about Lord Zuti? He also often suffers from the dock owner. If Yang Jian attacks closely, maybe Xu Gong will surrender to Shi Le"

"I think Master Zhou is right. Some dock owners on the banks of the Yellow River and some refugee commanders who have gathered thousands of people often use two boats. When the imperial court came to encircle and suppress them, they surrendered to the imperial court. Once the barbarians came, they would sometimes take refuge with the barbarians."

The three people were talking, and the waiter came up with a tray. There were three dishes, three wine bottles, three pairs of chopsticks, and a bottle of wine in the tray. The waiter put the tray on the table and first put the three After the dishes were placed, three pairs of chopsticks were placed in front of the three people, and the wine bottles were placed in front of everyone. After placing the food and wine, and pouring the wine, the waiter smiled and said:"Your Majesty, please take it easy."

The waiter took the tray and went downstairs.

"Come, gentlemen, let’s have a drink first! Diao Xie said, picking up the wine bottle first. Zhou Wei and Liu Wei then also picked up the wine bottle, and the three of them drank it all. Putting down the wine bottle, Zhou Wei asked:"Two adults, I feel that His Majesty is frowning recently. Is this Why?"

"well! His Majesty the Emperor is the Son of Heaven and the Supreme Being. However, your Majesty has experienced the bitterness of"the king and the horse share the world" since he crossed to the south. Obviously His Majesty is the Emperor, but he cannot make the decision on many important matters by himself. If this continues, brothers Wang Dao and Wang Dun will ignore His Majesty!"Liu Wei sighed. Diao Xie said:"We are His Majesty's loyal ministers. We should be concerned about His Majesty's urgent needs and find ways to solve His Majesty's problems!"

"Lord Diao is right, what can we do to strengthen the imperial power?"Zhou Wei said. Diao Xie said:"His Majesty regards us as his confidants, and we cannot let him down. But if His Majesty is happy, the Langya Wang family will definitely be unhappy. How should we choose?"