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

Yang Xianrong stood up and pulled his two sons up. Liu Xi was still asking:"Will the Emperor of the Jin Dynasty who is imprisoned in Pingyang also be killed by our Majesty?"

"You can’t tell, kid! Mom hopes that everyone can live well."Yang Xianrong said, kneeling on the ground again, and the two children knelt down again. Yang Xianrong struck the flint and lit the paper on fire. The burning paper turned into ashes and flew everywhere with the breeze. Yang Xianrong said:"Daocheng is the emperor's nephew. I hope you have the knowledge to bless your father who is crossing south to ascend the throne as soon as possible. Lead the soldiers south of the Yangtze River as soon as possible to recover the Central Plains, recover the north, and restore the motherland and homeland where our ancestors have lived for thousands of years."

Yang Xianrong looked up at the sky. It was already noon. Ah Qiao happened to come over. Ah Qiao said:"Madam, the maids have prepared the food. Come and eat with the two little princes! Ah

Qiao said and picked up Liu Xi. Yang Xianrong pulled Liu Xi to the living room. The huge living room seemed a little empty. Yang Xianrong and the two children sat down and said to Ah Qiao:"The general is not at home, so you and the cook are working hard. Don't go back to your rooms to eat. Everyone is in the living room today, let’s have a meal together!"

Ah Qiao went out for a while, and came with five maids, five cooks, and ten soldiers guarding the house. The maids and cooks brought a lot of food and put it on other tables. Put down the dishes, All the men presented their faces to the sheep and gave them gifts. The women all expressed blessings to the sheep and said,"Thank you, madam!" Good luck, madam!"

"Everyone can find a place to sit wherever they want, we are all one family."Yang Xianrong said with a smile. The two children were probably hungry, so Liu Xi picked up vegetables and started eating by himself. Aqiao hugged Liu Xi and picked out the vegetables he could eat and gave them to him. The others also started eating. Food and eating.

Five cooks were at a table. One of the cooks said:"Our country is called Han, and the country south of the Yangtze River is still called Jin Dynasty." There is another country to the west of our Han Kingdom called Tuyuhun. A few days ago, the king of Tuyuhun died."

The majestic Murong Xin was sitting in the court hall, discussing military and state affairs with his son and the civil and military ministers. Murong Xin first looked at his sons below, and then at the civil and military ministers. He couldn't help but smile and be in a good mood. He said:"Over the past few years, the Central Plains and the North have been ravaged by war, and people have had to leave their homes in order to survive. Some fled to the south of the Yangtze River and joined Sima Rui. Some traveled thousands of miles to come to me. Whether a place attracts people depends on how those in power treat them. If those in power torture the people, compete with the people for profit, and even prey on the people, then such a rule will not last long. If we treat the people who are fleeing well, more and more people will come to join us."

Pei Yi, a former minister of the Jin Dynasty and a native of Hedong, said:"Since the Great Chanyu took charge of the Murong tribe in Xianbei, he has been as open-minded as a valley and sincerely accepts talents. Many scholars and officials from the Central Plains region came here to serve Murong's tribe because of his reputation as a virtuous man. In terms of managing subjects from the Central Plains, the Great Chanyu established Qiaojun. The place with a large population in Jizhou was designated as Jiyang County. The place where people from Bingzhou lived together was designated as Tangguo County. The place where Qingzhou people live together is designated as Yingqiu County. The place with a large population in Yuzhou was designated as Chengzhou County. These methods are very popular."

Yang Dan, a native of Peiping, said:"It is much closer and more convenient for scholars and people from the Central Plains to cross south to the south of the Yangtze River than to go to Murong's tribe. But why do so many people prefer to leave the near and far away and join the great Chanyu of Liaodong? It is because Da Shan is open-minded and eager for talents. This is the main reason why we people don't go to Jiangnan to join Sima Rui."

Yang Dan said and pointed to the people around him. At this moment, the guard at the door came in and reported:"To report to the Great Chanyu, Lord Wang Ji who went to Jiangnan is back.

When Murong Xin heard this, he stood up and said hurriedly:"Please come in, Mr. Wang Ji!""

Wang Ji came in, came to Murong Xuan, bowed his hands and said:"See the Great Chanyu!"

"Lord Wang, did you go to the south of the Yangtze River from the sea to persuade the King of Jin to ascend the throne? Did it go well?"Murong Xuan asked. Wang Ji replied:"This trip to Jiangnan is generally going smoothly. I handed over the seal of the Great Chanyu to Sima Rui, the King of Jin."

"So does Jin King Sima Rui want to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor?"Murong Xuan asked. Wang Ji said:"I observe Sima Rui's thoughts and I have many concerns. Who wouldn't want to be the emperor, the most respected person in the world? Because Emperor Min was still in Liu Cong's hands and his life or death was uncertain, Sima Rui did not dare to claim control rashly. Some ministers under Sima Rui have evil intentions, like Wang Dun. Some members of the Sima royal family are not of the same mind as Sima Rui, such as Sima Zong."

Feng Yi from Bohai said:"So it is even more difficult for Sima Rui to restore the unification situation during the period of Emperor Wu Sima Yan. Wang Dun is like a gourd and Sima Bao is like a gourd. With a general like Wang Dun and a royal family like Sima Bao, neither of them would remain content. Pressing the gourd makes the gourd rise. Sima Rui is powerless, so life in Jiangzuo's Jin Dynasty will not be easy."

"Lord Feng Yi saw things more clearly, so Sima Rui's expectation that people like Wang Dun would make the Northern Expedition to restore the Central Plains was a fool's errand."An Dingren Huangfu said. Murong Xin asked Wang Ji again:"Did you hear anything important during these days in Jiangnan?"

"Zu Ti spent many years on the Northern Expedition, which was indeed very difficult. On the one hand, Zu Ti and Shi Le wanted to attack each other and regain the lost territory in the Central Plains. He also had to raise food and grass and recruit troops. On the other hand, Sima Rui was worried about him. Sima Su, the king of Langya, was sent to assist, so he probably didn't mean to monitor Zu Ti. You Sui, a native of Guanggan, analyzed:"Jiangzuo's monarchs and ministers are suspicious of each other, and they are not far away from their heart and virtue." When Jiangnan had no time to take care of himself, it was when Murong's tribe rose."

Murong Xin, who was sitting on top, and the people below all nodded after hearing this. At this moment, the guards came in again and reported:"Da Shanyu, some of the spies we sent out are back."

"OK, let them in quickly!"Murong Xuan said. As soon as he finished speaking, five people came in from outside the hall. These five people were dressed differently. Some were dressed as Xianbei people, some were dressed as Huns, some were dressed as Han people, and some were dressed as other tribes.

"See the Great Chanyu!"The five people came in and saluted Murong Xian together. Murong Xian said:"You have been out for a few months. Have you heard about any big things?"

"Reporting back to the Great Chanyu, I came back from Jiangnan and learned that Sima Rui, the second prince of Jin Dynasty, passed away."Murong Xuan said with some surprise:"It only took half a year for Sima Su to be named Langya King. It is the age when young people are promising and in their prime, what a pity!"