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

Juquzhi sneered twice, and then said:"You Ziyuan, I know that you conquered Xu Quanqu a few days ago, and Liu Yao also rewarded him with the title of General of the Conquest of the West and Duke of Xirong. I became the king and hegemon in Yinmi, and established myself as King, it’s wonderful to be free from restraints!"

"What the big leader said is wrong! As the saying goes,"He who knows the current affairs is a hero." If you lead more than 5,000 families to stay in Yinmi, with only about 10,000 soldiers and horses, can it last? So you'd better listen to my good advice and lead your troops to submit to His Majesty!"You Ziyuan said. Juquzhi retorted:"No matter how clever you are, I will not surrender to Liu Yao!"

You Ziyuan shook his head and walked a few steps further south with a few generals. You Ziyuan said:"It seems that Juquzhi has become determined after eating the weight and has no intention of surrendering at all. Then we have to prepare to attack the city tomorrow. Now we will immediately set up camp at the secret South Gate, East Gate, and West Gate. After setting up the tents, they will all come to my big tent to discuss the military situation."

There are many people and strength. As evening approached, the three camps at the east gate, west gate, and south gate were set up. Several generals came to You Ziyuan's tent. You Ziyuan motioned for them to sit down, and then said:" General Liu Qian led 4,000 troops to garrison the south gate, General Qiao Tai led 3,000 troops to garrison the west gate, and General Wang Teng led 3,000 troops to garrison the east gate. At night, we must guard against the enemy stealing the camp and plundering the stronghold. We must arrange patrols and soldiers guarding the camp gate so that no mistakes can be made."

The three generals nodded, and You Ziyuan added:"It's not completely dark now, so we can take a walk around Yinmi and formulate a strategy to attack Yinmi at night."

You Ziyuan and others, escorted by dozens of soldiers, set out from the south gate of Yinmi and walked east. When the soldiers on the city wall saw Gou Quzhi, they bent their bows and nocked arrows, ready to shoot arrows at any time. Only four The person was a stone's throw away, so the soldiers above did not shoot arrows. After walking for a while, You Ziyuan stopped to look at the gloomy city wall. You Ziyuan said:"The gloomy city wall is not very high, nor is it very strong. If we attack the city with a ladder, it will be easy to succeed."

After dinner, the three generals came to You Ziyuan's tent one after another. After the three of them sat down, You Ziyuan said:"Before dinner, we all looked at the defense situation of the dense city wall. In general, the tightness of the defense is as good as the city wall. In terms of sturdiness, it is not as good as Fushi City."

"I agree with the general's analysis. Not only is Fushi City's walls strong, but the troops and horses that destroy Quanqu are several times stronger than Juquzhi. Even so, Juquzhi was still unwilling to surrender and wanted to show off to us. I don’t know what he was thinking. Liu Gan said

"Living in troubled times, there are many people who overestimate their abilities, such as Xu Gong, who sways left and right. There are also many dock owners who work on their own and do not obey the imperial edict at all. Shao Xu, who stood firm in Fuping City and was loyal to the Jiangnan court wholeheartedly, is indeed commendable. But what about Emperor Sima Rui? The mind is full but the strength is not enough. The south of the Yangtze River and the north are separated by the Yangtze River, the Huaihe River, and even the Yellow River. There is no way to give Shao Xu substantial help. What happened? He was caught by Shi Hu and sent to Xiang State. If it weren't for Shi Zhao Chujian of Shi Le, who was thirsty for talents, Shao Xu would have been killed long ago."Qiao Tai said. Wang Teng took over the topic and said:"Not only did Shi Le not kill Shao Xu, he also let Shao Xu live in the post house, with good food and drink every day, and servants to take care of him. Xu Gong, who stayed in Boping County, the seat of Taishan County, was not so lucky."

In the Boping County Government Office, Xu Gong said:"In the past few months, Shi Hu has led an army of 40,000, and he originally came for me. However, because the army led by Yang Jian has been stationed in Xiapi. Cai Bao, a general under Yang Jian, unintentionally became our shield. The Northern Expeditionary Army led by Cai Bao encountered Shi Hu's army. Because Cai Bao was defeated by Shi Hu, he fled to Xiapi overnight. Many of Tanqiu's baggage, grain and grass were not transported away in time, and they all became our spoils of war. Cai Bao's two generals Liu Chong and Lu Dang fought hard, and both of them died in the battle. Cai Bao escaped from the battle. After Sima Rui learned about it, he sent Bei Zhonglang to surround Wang Shu and arrest Cai Bao. Poor Cai Bao was finally executed by Sima Rui's order.

Counselor Liu Xiao said:"Cai Bao did resist Shi Hu's siege for us, and we breathed a sigh of relief, so we had time to beg King Zhao again to allow us to surrender." But we killed Shi Le's favorite general Wang Fudu and three hundred soldiers. Sooner or later Shi Le will not let us go. For this surrender, your wife and children are still in the hands of Xiangguo Shile."

Hearing this, a helpless expression flashed across Xu Gong's face. His subordinate Yu Yao said:"Facing the aggressive and murderous Shihu, I dare to say that the fate of us people will be different than that of Shao Xu of Fuping. Neither Cao Yi nor Cao Yi from Guanggu City will fare any better."

Above the court, Sima Rui's anger has not subsided. Sima Rui said:"Cai Bao went from General Zhenwu and Governor of Linhuai to General Jianwei and Governor of Xuzhou, and then followed Yangjian to attack Xu Gong. Although Xu Gong was defeated in Tanqiu, he was attacked by Shi Hu and Xu Gong from two directions, and he was defeated overnight and fled to Xiapi. There is nothing wrong with beheading a defeated general. Two of Cai Bao's generals, Liu Chong and Lu Dang, died in the battle. Their families should be buried generously and their families should be paid generously."

"Your majesty is wise!"The civil and military ministers said in unison. At this moment, a guard came in from outside the hall and reported:"Your Majesty, Lord Yang Jian who attacked Xu Kong is back!"

"Yangjian is back? He still has the nerve to come back!"As soon as he heard that Yang Jian was back, Sima Rui's anger suddenly rose. The guard stood there blankly and did not dare to speak anymore. After a while, Sima Rui said angrily:"Let the prince Zuo Wei lead Yang Jian to kneel down Come in!"

The guards went out to tell Yang Jian, and Yang Jian had to kneel and crawl into the Tai Chi Hall. Yang Jian did not dare to raise his head, and crawled to the court tremblingly. He came to Sima Rui tremblingly and said,"The guilty minister Yang Jian has insulted the country. If you can accomplish your mission, please punish me!"

"Bereaved? Insulting the country? Punishment? You said it lightly! As the commander-in-chief of the crusade against Xu Gong, you have no intention of making progress, are blinded by your power, drained the national treasury, accomplished nothing, and deserved to die! Director Wang quickly left work and knelt down:"Your Majesty, it was inappropriate for me to recommend Master Yang Jian. Master Yang had declined many times at that time." I deserve to be punished and humiliated, please allow your majesty!"

"Yushi Zhongcheng, Yang Jian's crusade against Xu Gong lasted for nearly a year. Due to incompetent command, inconsistent generals, chaos and disorder on the battlefield, some places were gained and lost, resulting in the death of thousands of soldiers, and countless baggage, food and grass were lost to Shi Hu, What kind of crime should Yang Jian deserve from Xu Gong's income?"

Liu Wei hurriedly came out of the class and said:"Your Majesty, this crime of losing a teacher and humiliating the country should be punished with death!

Sima Rui was still angry and asked,"Yang Jian, what else do you have to say?""