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

"During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang once compared himself to Guan Zhong and Le Yi before Liu Bei visited the thatched cottage three times. Guan Zhong assisted Duke Huan of Qi to achieve hegemony. Le Yi was worshiped as a general by King Yan Zhao, and he led the coalition forces of Yan and other five countries to capture more than 70 cities in Qi. The Qi State was almost destroyed, but King Yan Hui, who came to power later, was suspicious of Le Yi and deprived Le Yi of his military power. Only then did Tian Dan's Fire Ox Formation come into being, which saved the precarious Qi State."Yu Liang said eloquently:"If Sir Mao Hong is our prime minister, it is Guan Zhong of Jiangzuo. So in my opinion, this 'general' is none other than General Chu Zhong. General Wang is our Le Yi from Jiangzuo and our hope to regain our homeland in the north!"

Chu Zhong is Wang Dun's word. Wang Dun smiled when he heard this and was speechless. At this moment, dozens of young people came to the new pavilion in a hurry and knelt down in unison. The leader said:"Langya Your Highness, we are young people from the north. We saw our homes destroyed and our relatives killed, so we had no choice but to cross south to Jiankang. Thanks to the food the general gave us just now, our one or two hundred relatives had the courage to live. Just now, dozens of us young people discussed and planned to put on soldiers' clothes, defend our country and regain our homeland in the north! Sima

Rui looked at Wang Dun with a smile. Wang Dun did not hesitate and said immediately:"The country needs young people to serve as soldiers. Your idea is very good." You go to the bottom of the hillside to find my Qian Feng who has joined the army. He will make arrangements for you to join the army and become my Jingzhou navy!"

When Zu Lian and the other five people heard this, they also came to kneel outside the new pavilion. Zu Lian said:"His Royal Highness King Langya, we are the soldiers of General Zu Ti from the north. We followed General Zu Ti to fight against the Hu people. We were dispersed by the Hu people, so we came to Jiankang."

"How is General Zu Ti always doing? How is the Northern Expedition progressing? Sima Rui asked. Zu Lian said:"Go back to Your Highness, General Zu Ti is having a hard time!" Although the general had the ambition to"attack the enemy in the middle of the stream", the soldiers had no choice but to lack clothes and clothing. There are still enemies on all sides. These enemies include not only Hu people but also Han people. General Zuti hopes to gain the support of His Highness"

"Oh well! Sima Rui said:"The five of you will be my personal followers!""

The five people were very happy. They knelt down to Sima Rui again and then retreated outside.

"The generals are there, the prime ministers are there, the people's hearts are there, and the army is there. The 'backbone' of the commanding generals must be His Highness King Langya!"Zhou Wei laughed loudly and said.

The new pavilion suddenly became quiet, and no one outside the new pavilion spoke anymore. Sima Rui stood up and said:"My lords are concerned about the country and the people, and you are commendable for your loyalty and bravery. However, I have little talent and limited knowledge, and it is difficult for me to take on such an important responsibility. It would be better for everyone to try their best to welcome Emperor Min back."

When Sima Rui said this, he glanced at Wang Dun out of the corner of his eye. Director Wang said to Sima Rui:"The Huns are ruthless, extremely vicious, and murderous. It has been four years since Emperor Huai was killed, and Emperor Min has also become a prisoner of the Huns. I think it is also a disaster. I hope that His Highness King Langya will unite the gentry in the north and south and all the people in Jiangsu who are willing to contribute money and effort, and those who are capable, to come forward to clean up the mess of a country that has been destroyed and a family destroyed. Please!"

Everyone stood up and knelt on the ground. Director Wang then advised Sima Rui:"For the sake of family and country, please don't refuse anymore. It is impossible for Emperor Min to be released by the Huns. It is better for us to make plans in advance and ask His Highness to proclaim himself emperor as soon as possible!

Sima Rui said:"Until there is no definite news about Emperor Min, I will never proclaim him emperor." As the great-grandson of Emperor Xuan, it is reasonable for Gu to inherit the throne. I can lead this leader, but what needs to be done now is to expel the barbarians and restore the country. Everyone can offer advice, you can recommend yourself, you can recommend acquaintances, relatives and friends."

"Since His Highness is unwilling to proclaim himself emperor, it is always okay to proclaim him King Jin, right? Wang Cheng said. Sima Rui lowered his head and thought for a moment, then looked up at the people around him and said,"You can consider it.""

"His Highness has agreed to be crowned King of Jin, so there must be ministers of civil and military affairs under his command, right?"Yu Liang then said:"Wen can stabilize the country, and martial arts can rule the country. Your Highness, please make a list!"

"What a great idea!" Director Wang agreed very much with Yu Liang's words. Then he said to a servant outside the new pavilion:"Go to the car and get a piece of cloth, an inkstone, and a writing brush!"

The servant brought the inkstone, ground the ink, and then handed the brush to Director Wang. Director Wang looked around at the people inside and outside the new pavilion, and said to Sima Rui:"Your Highness, please give the Nandu and Jiangzuo officials who you trust very much. , say the names of the generals one by one, and I will write them. Sima

Rui pondered for a while, and then said:"I thought about it for a while. If we want to drive out the Wuhu, we must first have talents who can stabilize the country with literature and rule the country with martial arts." There is no doubt that everyone at the Xinting meeting today is someone whom I trust very much, so I have to record my name. Celebrities from Nandu and Jiangzuo who were unable to attend the Xinting meeting must also be included. As long as the celebrities from the Central Plains and the North care about China and regard our dynasty as orthodox, they are all people who can be used by our dynasty."

"It is still unclear when northern officials will return. Wang Cheng said:"If you can't come to Jiangzuo, even if you write your name on it, it will be of no use." Therefore, in my opinion, it would be better to only record the northern scholars who crossed to the south, as well as the original people from Jiangzuo. Our dynasty is located in a corner of the south of the Yangtze River. Dozens of states and counties need officials to govern, and millions of people need management. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers need to be trained so that they can resist foreign enemies and regain lost ground."

"Mr. Wang has thought very well. Therefore, this dependent roster requires at least a hundred people, and I may not think it through at the moment. If the number is insufficient, it can be increased later. In addition, the situation of Emperor Min is still unclear, so how officials and generals use it still needs to be discussed. Sima Rui continued:"Those who are still holding on to their homeland in the north are also meritorious officials of our dynasty." After regaining their homeland, they will be hired together. Mr. Shigeruhiro will write whichever one comes to my mind, in no particular order. Daoji, Daocheng and three imperial uncles came to attend the Xinting meeting. The Sima family belongs to the royal family, so they should not be included."

Sima Rui's eldest son, Sima Shao, was named Daoji. His second son, Sima

Pei, was named Daocheng. Wang Dun, Wang Dao, Zhou Wei, Diao Xie, Wang Cheng, Xun Song, Xun Zu, Xun Sui, Hua Heng, Wang Han, Wang Shu, Wang Bin, Bian Yi, Zhuge Hui, Chen Qun, Yu Liang, Huan Yi, He Xun, Xue Jian, Ji Zhan, Xi Jian, Tao Kan, Zhou Fang, Yang Jian, Liu Wei, Dai Yuan, Cai Mo, Xun Kai, Gan Zhuo, Wang Jian, Xie Kun, Xie Pe, Wang Xi, Huan Xuan, Liu Han, Zhou Song, Ruan Fang, Wang Sui, Liu Chao, Ying Zhan, Liu Xia, Gu He, Gu Zhong, Ruan Fu , Yu Tan, Tao Hui, Zhong Ya, Yang Man, Lu Ye, Lu Wan, Deng You, Chu Hui, Liu Chengyin, Zhou Zha, Cai Bao, Kong Tan, Kong Yu...

Sima Rui said a name, and Director Wang wrote it One of them wrote on the cloth the names of Nandu nobles and Jiangzuo celebrities in one breath. Yu Liang counted them and said:"A total of one hundred and six people."