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

Murong Xuan held Wen Qiao's hand and said,"I still haven't finished talking to Master Wen Qiao just now. I want to continue talking with Master Wen Qiao above, and now the banquet begins!""

"Lord Liaodong, isn’t this great?" Wen Qiao declined. No matter how Wen Qiao declined, Murong Xuan insisted on letting Wen Qiao sit with him on top. Wen Qiao had no choice but to say:"Since Liaodong County Duke is so enthusiastic, I would rather obey him than be respectful!"

The maid above came down and brought Wen Qiao's wine bottle and chopsticks up. Murong Xie sat in the middle, with Wen Qiao accompanying him on the side. The maids poured wine for everyone, and then stood aside. Murong Xie lifted up He picked up the wine bottle and said,"My lords, today is the happiest day for me. Lord Wen Qiao has come from afar, let’s have a drink first!"

Murong Xuan went first as a sign of respect, and Wen Qiao then raised his wine bottle with a smile. The civil and military minister Pei Yi and others below, as well as Murong Xuan's sons, all raised their wine bottles and drank it all in one gulp. Putting down the wine bottle, Murong Xuan said :"Lord Wen Qiao has unique insights and a commanding position. It was indeed very difficult for the Murong tribe to survive being surrounded by Duanbu to the west, Yuwenbu to the north, and Goguryeo to the south. Duan Mobo, the leader of the Duan tribe, has become a vassal of Shi Le. It is entirely possible that Shi Le settled the war in the south, occupied western Liaoning, and attacked eastern Liaoning."

"Although our Xianbei Murong tribe is separated from the Jiangnan court by thousands of mountains and rivers. But now that the Duke of Liaodong County has been appointed by the court, he can set up hundreds of civil and military officials to legitimately take charge of military and political affairs in eastern Liaoning and western Liaoning."Yang Dan said. Pei Kai said:"Master Yang Dan is right. For the stability of Liaodong and Western Liaoning, please ask Liaodong County to appoint hundreds of officials and staff!"

"Well, the ideas of several adults coincide with mine."Murong Xuan looked at his sons below, then at the ministers of civil and military affairs, and continued:"I, Murong, have been appointed and sealed by the imperial court. It is only natural for me to set up hundreds of officials and allocate subordinates."

"Come, my lords, let us have another drink!"Murong Xi said, and he drank another glass. Everyone else also finished the second glass, put down their wine bottles and waited. Murong Xi smiled and said:"In these years, my Murong Department has gathered hundreds of celebrities with lofty ideals.. These well-educated people from all over the world are the foundation for the prosperity of my Murong Division. Some of the following appointments are original positions and some are new positions. No matter what, as long as everyone performs his or her duties, we can be worthy of the common people and worthy of His Majesty the Emperor. Pei Yi and You Sui were appointed as chief historians, Pei Kai was appointed as Sima, Han Shou was appointed as a farewell officer, Yang Dan was appointed as military counselor and wine worshiper, Cui Tao was appointed as chief secretary, and Huang Hong and Zheng Lin participated in the military affairs. Dongxiang offered wine to Liu Zan and wanted to get things done in the school, and the prince Murong Huang was there to help him. Murong Han guarded Liaodong, and Murong Ren guarded Pingguo, jointly defending Goguryeo in the south."

"Thank you Mr. Liaodong for your love!"The civil and military ministers all knelt down and said. Murong Han and Murong Ren also knelt down and said,"I obey my orders! Please rest assured, father!"

When Wen Qiao heard the name Zheng Lin, although he had never seen it before, it was familiar to him. So he asked:"Mr. Zheng Lin, who joined the army, is he Zheng Lin, a famous scholar from Beihai County with eight talents?"

"It is my honor to meet Mr. Wen Qiao today."Zheng Lin stood up and saluted Wen Qiao. Wen Qiao returned the courtesy and asked,"Isn't Mr. Zheng Lin working for Cao Yi in Qingzhou?"

"I stayed with Cao Yi for a while, but through observation, I found that Cao Yi, like Xu Gong, wanted to be king alone, but was also afraid of Shi Le and the Jiangnan court. Afraid of Shi Le, he surrendered to the court. Afraid of being eaten by Shi Le, he gave gifts to Shi Le and accepted the title. This way of swaying left and right, back and forth, it seems that you can survive, but the final outcome will be tragic. A good bird chooses a tree to roost in, and a good minister chooses his master to serve. So Cao Yi and I said goodbye and went to the Great Chanyu. Zheng Lin said. Wen Qiao nodded and said,"I see, Master Zheng made a wise move!""

"My dear friends, feel free to eat, drink, and talk as you please!"Murong Xuan said. Wen Qiao said:"When I came to Liaodong this time, I saw the wisdom of Liaodong County Duke. I give a toast to Liaodong County Lord!"

Murong Xuan then also drank a drink, and Wen Qiao took his own wine bottle and said:"Liaodong County Lord, Jiankang is more than two thousand miles away from Daji City. It is really not easy to come here once. It's rare to meet so many celebrities and young masters today. I went down to talk to them and get acquainted with them over a glass of wine."

"Okay, okay!"Murong Xuan said. Wen Qiao came down with his own wine bottle and chopsticks. Pei Yi, You Sui, Pei Kai, Han Shou, Yang Dan and others all rushed to toast Wen Qiao, and Wen Qiao also smiled in return.. Seeing that the banquet was almost in progress, Wen Qiao said to Murong Xuan:"I am very grateful to Lord Liaodong for his hospitality today, and I am also very grateful to all the gentlemen and lords. It will take about ten days to return to Jiangnan, so I won’t delay"

"Mr. Wen Qiao, how about spending two days in Liaodong? Zheng Lin said enthusiastically. Wen Qiao smiled and said:"Masters Zhou Fang and Zu Ti passed away one after another, and Shao Xu, Duan Pixi and others were killed one after another. The restless general is ready to move again, and the bloody storm in Jiangnan is coming! Seeing this

, Murong Xin also came down from above. Wen Qiao clasped his fists and said,"Liaodong County Lord, farewell!" I hope that one day I can meet Duke Liaodong and all of you adults in Jiankang!"

After saying that, Wen Qiao and his two followers came to the entrance of the hall. The carriage at the door was already waiting. Wen Qiao bowed his hands several times to Murong Xuan and others, then got in the car and went to the seaside to return to Jiangnan.

Wen Qiao, Murong Xin and their son were sent away. , the ministers returned to the main hall and sat down again. Murong Xin said:"Yuan Yong, you and Ren'er will set off together in two days. You go to Xiangping, the seat of Liaodong County, and command the army and people of Liaodong County. Pingguo is the second most important town in Liaodong County, with Goguryeo to the southeast. Ren'er guards Pingguo, and the burden on him is not easy. You two brothers should exchange news and keep in touch frequently. Once an emergency occurs, we must support each other to ensure the safety of Liaodong."

Murong Han and Murong Ren both nodded. Murong Han said:"Father, please rest assured!"

"Yuan Yong, how do you plan to govern Liaodong County when you arrive in Xiangping?"Murong Xuan asked Murong Han. Murong Han said:"There have been frequent wars in these years. Our Murong tribe has fought many times with Goguryeo, Duan tribe, Yuwen tribe, and Fuyu, causing the people to be displaced. After I arrived in Liaodong, the first thing I had to do was to settle down and appease the people, so that they could live and work in peace and contentment. I will give both kindness and power to the barbarians and barbarians. I will also let soldiers and civilians near the border farm, which can increase food harvests and taxes. Soldiers must be trained in peacetime to guard against Goguryeo."

After hearing Murong Han's answer, Murong Xie nodded happily. Murong Xie asked Murong Ren again:"Ren'er, you are close to the seaside, and the southeast is not far from Goguryeo. What do you plan to do?"