Chapter 19: Taking Chestnuts from the Fire

Chapter 19: Taking Chestnuts from the Fire

Chapter 19: Taking Chestnuts from the Fire
“Hahahaha…” The Sikong Mansion was filled with guests and laughter was heard everywhere.

Indeed, Sima Yue has been licking a lot in recent months.

To describe it in a more elegant way is "courtesy, frugality and concession", and to describe it in a blunt way is "flattery".

But he licked it anyway.

Sima Yi was very happy.

Sima Ying of Yecheng did not cause any trouble and even praised Sima Yue a few words because Sima Yue secretly supported him to be the crown prince.

This is what it means to have the best of both worlds and to be a fence-sitter. The key is that it has not been exposed yet. It has to be said that this is a skill.

Licking the dog, licking the dog, licking to the end, you will get everything.

Now, Fanyang King Sima Hu has been appointed as the General of the Southern Expedition and is about to lead his army south to deal with the chaos in Jingzhou. If he has the means, he can take advantage of the situation to place his confidants in Jingzhou.

Sima Hu, Sima Mo, Sima Teng, and Sima Yue were all grandsons of Sima Yi's fourth brother Sima Kui, so naturally they had a special relationship and they were definitely Sima Yue's external aid.

As for Sima Xin, the former governor of Jingzhou, because most of his troops were sent to Shu, he had no soldiers available and had just been defeated by the peasant army in Fancheng and died.

"Once the General of the Southern Expedition arrives, why should Zhang Chang's gang not be killed?"

"The situation is quite serious. The five states of Jing, Yang, Yu, Xu, and Jiang are all affected. We must put it down quickly. Otherwise, lives will be lost."

"The military preparations of the various states in the south of the Yangtze River are in disarray. No one knows what they are doing. The government troops collapsed at the first blow and couldn't even defeat the refugees."

"Emperor Wu reduced the number of soldiers in the counties, and the localities only have military officers. A skilled cook cannot cook without rice. Don't be too harsh."

"In today's world, it's time to rebuild the county army."

……

Everyone was talking at once and having a great time.

Sima Yue kept raising his cup to urge everyone to drink, and everyone was drunk.

Wang Dao put down the wine jar, responded to others casually, and thought silently in his heart.

Recently, his cousin Wang Yan convened a secret meeting with all the descendants of the Wang family in Beijing, and Wang Dao attended.

During the meeting, Wang Dun pointed out that the prestige of the imperial court was declining, and the states were showing an irreversible trend of becoming local governors. In this case, it would be better to send his own people to the states to seize local power and use it as a support.

Wang Yan basically agreed with this view, and placed high hopes on Wang Dao, Wang Dun and Wang Cheng who were present. He believed that the three of them were the more outstanding members of the Wang family of Langya in this generation, and they should shoulder important responsibilities and do their best to contribute to the prosperity of the family business.

Wang Dao respected his cousin Wang Yan more because his cousin was willing to stay in Luoyang, a dangerous place, and send his younger brothers out.

According to the plan of the Wang family's children, Wang Dao worked hard towards Xuzhou and tried to become the governor. If he couldn't do it, he would get a prince to take the lead and control everything behind the scenes.

Wang Dao chose his good friend Sima Rui.

Sima Jingwen, at least in terms of appearance and personality, is relatively easy to manipulate and is the most suitable front person.

But there is also a problem. Pei Dun of the Wenxi Pei family seems to be very interested in the governor of Xuzhou, which means he faces strong competition.

A large part of Wang Dao’s recent gloomy mood stems from this.

At this moment, when he heard at the banquet that King Sima Hu of Fanyang was to be appointed General of the Southern Expedition and go south to Jingzhou to quell the rebellion, he felt even more depressed.

After conquering the south, what will happen next? Will he send a trusted person to be the governor or governor of Jingzhou? If so, Jingzhou will belong to Sima Yue's faction.

Irritated! Sima Yi and Sima Ying didn’t react at all?

"Ahem." Sima Yue cleared his throat.

When everyone saw this, they put down their wine bottles and returned to their seats.

"All the participants in today's banquet are outstanding talents." Sima Yue said with a smile: "A year ago, I never thought that the situation today would come."

"The king's reputation as a wise king has spread far and wide, and talented people from all over the world have come to join him, which is why we have such a prosperous scene today." Yu Hua said loudly.

Mi Huang glanced at him. Yu Hua actually did not join the Sikong Shogunate, but was just close to it. However, he made such a big fuss here, as if he was the chief of staff. Where do you put Minister Cao?
Well, Minister Cao was looking at everyone in the field, smiling but not saying anything.

Shangshu Cao's real name is Cao Fu, the youngest son of Cao Hong. He is over seventy years old, highly respected and virtuous, and is currently the military commander of the shogunate and the number one assistant.

"Zi Song is wrong." Sima Yue smiled and said, "Now the famous scholars in Hebei Province are going to Ye Prefecture, and the scholars in Xizhou are mostly going to Chang'an. The scholars in Henan and Jiangdong are mostly attached to the King of Changsha. I am still a little short of that, a little short of that."

He said this in a half-joking way, but there was some truth in it.

Although many people came to the shogunate, overall, there was still a shortage of talent.

Gan Zhuo, a scholar from Wu, declined his offer.

Zu Ti, a scholar from Hebei, did not join the court on the grounds of his mother's death.

……

To put it bluntly, people would either vote for Sima Yi or Sima Ying, so why would they vote for you?
Things like fame and power can influence the choices of many people. This is the reality.

However, there is still a chance.

Sima Yi, who was in power, recently dealt with an assassination attempt. In short, Sima Yi discussed important matters with Sima Ying in Yecheng, and the two of them made decisions together, but he ignored Sima Yong, the King of Hejian, who was stationed in Guanzhong.

You know, when they were dealing with Sima Jue, the Prince of Qi, everyone had agreed that after the success, the emperor would be deposed and Sima Ying, the Prince of Chengdu, would be enthroned as the emperor, and Sima Yong, the Prince of Hejian, would be the prime minister.

But Sima Jue was killed directly in a fight, without asking Chang'an and Yecheng for much help, which made the two brothers very disappointed.

Fortunately, King Sima Yi of Changsha was clear-headed. He first stabilized Sima Ying of Yecheng, discussed all matters, big or small, with him, and verbally expressed his willingness to support Sima Ying as the crown prince and inherit the throne in the future.

This condition could not fully satisfy Sima Ying.

What he wants is the throne of the emperor, what is the meaning of the title of Crown Prince? Besides, I haven't seen the imperial edict that makes him the Crown Prince, are you kidding me?
Fortunately, Sima Yi was willing to share government power with Sima Ying, which temporarily stabilized him and prevented him from losing his temper on the spot, and the situation has been delayed until now.

Compared with Sima Ying, Sima Yong really didn't get much, so he was very angry and had a strong urge to get rid of Sima Yi.

Just a while ago, when Luoyang seemed to be at peace, Li Han, the former chief secretary of Sima Yong's government, current governor of Henan and a member of the Longxi Li family, secretly contacted the attendant Feng Sun, the minister of the Central Secretariat Bian Cui and others, plotting to assassinate Sima Yi.

Sima Ying of Yecheng was pleased to see this happen and acquiesced. After all, it would be better for two people to share the power of the country than for him to have the final say alone.

However, Li Han's plan was not kept secret and was discovered by Huangfu Shang, a military officer in the court of Sima Jiong, the former Prince of Qi, and Sima Yi, the current Prince of Changsha. Huangfu Shang reported the plan on the spot, and Li Han, Bian Cui, and Feng Sun were arrested and killed. Zhuge Mei, a cavalry officer, and Qian Xiu, a former chief secretary of the Ministry of Rites, fled to Yecheng for their lives.

The death of Li Han meant that Sima Yi and Sima Yong had officially fallen out, and Sima Ying of Yecheng probably didn't have the patience to continue playing the game of co-controlling the country's affairs. It was heard that he had recently recruited a large number of soldiers and contacted the Xianbei, Wuhuan, and Xiongnu tribes, sharpening his knives, and his intention to march south was very obvious.

This incident was certainly bad news for the people in the Central Plains, and it was not good news for Sima Yi, the King of Changsha. However, for Sima Yue, the King of Donghai, it was not necessarily a bad thing, and it could even be said to be an opportunity.

You guys fight each other, and when the fight comes to the end, won’t everything that’s left be mine?

This cannot be said openly, but everyone here who understands will understand.

This is not the first time the lord has done this.

Sima Lun and Sima Jiong were both outlasted by him, and the situation in Luoyang was gradually improving. If Sima Yi died, perhaps the situation could be further improved, and everyone could benefit from it. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
******
Outside the Sikong Mansion's armory, Shao Xun unexpectedly ran into two people: He Lun and Wang Bing.

Through introduction by others, I learned that they were generals of the East Sea Kingdom. This time they brought more than a thousand soldiers of the kingdom to Luoyang to obey the orders of the king.

"General He, General Wang." Shao Xun immediately stepped forward to greet them.

"Hey, why be so polite!" He Lun took two steps forward, held Shao Xun's arm, and said with a smile: "We are all from the same hometown, so we should help each other when we are outside. From now on, we are all brothers, so there is no need to be polite."

Shao Xun was a little surprised. Could a young man from a noble family who joined the army be so polite?
Like the Mi family, the He family and the Wang family are also aristocratic families in Donghai.

The He family is a new family and has a weak foundation.

The Wang family is an old aristocratic family. They are descendants of Wang Lang of the Later Han Dynasty and have intermarried with the royal family. Their family background is much stronger than that of the He family.

However, the Wang family is indeed powerful, but Wang Bing may not be. He is so warm and polite, most likely because he is from a branch family, and his family may not be very well off when he was a child, so he is not so arrogant.

"That's right." Wang Bing also said, "We are new to Luoyang and we are unfamiliar with the place, so we have to stick together. There are many Qingxu scholars in the king's court, and we should have more Qingxu soldiers and generals in our army. Shao Jun is a fellow countryman, so he is our brother and can be trusted."

Shao Xun bowed again to express his gratitude.

It’s a bit outrageous that he actually felt the “warmth” of his fellow villagers. What the hell is this!
In the Middle Ages, regions and fellow villagers were extremely important relationships.

"Two generals are leading their troops here, and the King of Changsha is willing to make concessions?" Shao Xun asked.

He found it a little unbelievable. Are the controls so lax now?
At that time, King Sima Jiong of Qi had driven all the kings' followers out of the city. As a result, He Lun and Wang Bing marched into the city with more than a thousand soldiers and horses without any hindrance.

"The King of Changsha is probably too busy to take care of himself." He Lun was cautious and didn't say anything, but Wang Bing said nonchalantly: "In fact, he has already made plans to fight with the armies of Yecheng and Chang'an. Although our more than a thousand people are not many, they are also a help, right?"

Seeing that Wang Bing had said everything, He Lun no longer concealed anything and added: "The King of Changsha has tried to win over the generals of the Imperial Guard, but the results are not very significant. Some of them have secret connections with Yecheng and Chang'an, and some are playing mad and stupid. There are not many who can be used by him. Moreover, the Imperial Guard is also very complicated. Some are brave and good at fighting, but some are just filling in the numbers and are vulnerable. Now that things are urgent, naturally all those who can be used will be used."

"I see." Shao Xun thanked him again.

The good thing about senior generals is that they get much more information than him. I need to make more friends with these two people in the future.

"I heard that Shao Jun is the governor and is in charge of a group of soldiers on behalf of Governor Mi?" Wang Bing asked again.

"We are only in charge of more than 200 people." Shao Xun said, "Two teams of strong men and three teams of children and teenagers, but they are not very capable of fighting."

"Not a small number." Wang Bing's face relaxed after hearing this, and he then advised: "Find a way to gather more troops."

"That's right." He Lun also said, "The king asked us to recruit the dead and expand the army to prepare for war. Shao Dubo can also follow suit. Luoyang is an important place, and we still have too few people."

"Thank you both generals for your advice." Shao Xun bowed sincerely.

The two men were satisfied to see that Shao Xun was very respectful and respectful to his elders.

Sikong had already summoned them and ordered them to recruit scattered defeated soldiers in various places to expand the army. Basically, he would recruit as many people as possible and he would figure out the money and food.

They had a rough understanding of the soldiers stationed in Pan Garden, and found that more than half of them were not fit for battle. In addition, they had the duty of protecting the princess, so they gave up the idea of ​​annexing them. Seeing Shao Xun so polite today, they were happy in their hearts, and their fellow countrymen complex came up, so they said a few more words.

Shao Xun probably understood their thoughts.

Coming all the way from the East Sea, it would be impossible to say that there was no hesitation or worry. Now we should really unite and help each other, and work together for the people of the East Sea to gain a foothold in Luoyang.

So good.

(End of this chapter)