Chapter 244 Division of Troops

Chapter 244 Division of Troops

Chapter 244 Division of Troops
The purge of imperial court in March and April had far-reaching consequences.

It is unknown how many officials and ministers were imprisoned or killed, and how many people fled Luoyang.

In short, after Sima Yue completely broke off relations with the court and replaced the palace guards, the court's authority further declined - this time it was not the enemy that attacked, but Sima Yue himself who threw the court's face on the ground and stomped on it twice.

In the short term, he may have gotten some relief.

In the long run, this is shortening the lifespan of the Jin Dynasty.

It is really surprising that the descendants of the Sima family would do such irrational things.

In early May, after the "trial" of the Supreme Court Justice Zhuge Quan was completed, he drafted a death sentence for a group of rebels and reported it to Sima Yue's court. Liu Yu and Pan Tao strongly advocated killing them, and Sima Yue agreed.

So they killed the Miao brothers, Wang Yan and more than ten others.

However, the family members were not affected, nor were their properties confiscated. In addition, the sons of each family were allowed to collect the bodies and bury them, which was considered as giving face.

On the sixth day of May, Liu Yu rode a tall horse and arrived at the residence of his uncle Wang Yan, surrounded by dozens of followers.

A funeral was being held at the prince's uncle's house, but Liu Yu ignored it and walked straight in.

Most of Wang Yan's descendants were living in other places and could not come back in time, so the body was brought back by servants. It was placed on a burial bed, covered with clothes and quilts, and white curtains were hung around it.

This is the small funeral ceremony.

To collect means to hide and never see it again.

The small burial covers the deceased with clothes and quilts, while the large burial places the deceased in the coffin.

The body is usually buried three days after death. "Those who bury the body three days later are waiting for the body to be reborn. If the body is not reborn after three days, then it is gone...Relatives who are far away can also come to the body."

Because there was no master in the mansion, only the concubine Jing, the chief planner Jing Cheng, and the household servant Jing Hong were in charge of the funeral.

As soon as Liu Yu entered the main hall, he couldn't move his eyes away. He stared straight at Jing, as if he couldn't see anyone else.

Want to be pretty and filial.

Jing was naturally beautiful, delicate and charming. Now wearing mourning clothes, she was so alluring that Liu Yu almost couldn't bear it and pounced on her.

Fortunately, he still had some sense. He waved his hand, and soon his followers brought some money and other items and placed them in the house.

It is not known whether it was intentional or accidental, but these valuables were piled up next to the burial bed, next to Wang Yan's body.

Jing looked at Liu Yu in confusion.

Liu Yu smiled casually and said, "My beauty, please be patient. I will come to take you back to my mansion in a few days."

Jing's face turned pale.

Jing Cheng and Jing Hong both looked angry, but dared not say anything.

Liu Yu was a big shot in front of Si Tu, and it was he who suggested killing the king's uncle. Who would dare to offend him?

Seeing Jing's dejected look, Liu Yu felt itchy in his heart and couldn't help but take a few steps forward, wanting to touch Jing's little hand.

Jing took two steps back and said, "The uncle hasn't even had time to calm down yet, and the chief secretary is going to do something reckless?"

Liu Yu then stopped.

Then he smiled and said, "Then wait a few more days."

After saying that, he waved his hand, and walked out of the door with a crowd of people following him, heading straight for Situ Mansion.

After Liu Yu left, Jing fell to the ground weakly, her eyes blank.

"Sister." Jing Cheng frowned and was about to say something when he heard footsteps again.

Wang, a Zhonglang official in the Situ Shogunate, walked slowly into the mourning hall with his hands behind his back.

A pair of green eyes turned around and quickly locked onto Jing.

I stared at it for a while and my saliva was almost watering.

Obviously, his concentration was not as good as Liu Yu's, and he wanted to take action directly.

Jing Hong couldn't bear to see his sister being humiliated, so he stepped forward and glared at the king.

Wang glanced at Jing Hong impatiently and said, "You must be Wang Yan's general Jing Hong, right? You used to be so arrogant."

"It's me, Wang Zhonglang. What do you think of me?" Jing Hong asked.

The king snorted and said, "For your sister's sake, I will not pursue the crime of collision."

After saying this, he glanced at the money and property Liu Yu had sent over, and said angrily, "But there is one thing you must remember, you are not allowed to agree to anything Liu Qingsun asks for. Send these goods back immediately. As for your sister, don't worry. I will send someone to marry her in a few days. From now on, you brothers should follow me, and there will be benefits for you."

After saying this, he looked at Jing reluctantly, then turned and left.

He also wants to go to Situ Mansion.

I have something important to discuss today, so you can't be absent.

After the king left, Jing was already in tears and she leaned over the table and cried.

When the emperor's uncle was in power, he hid her in his palace and rarely showed her to others. But even so, her reputation spread. How could she not be talked about when she was good at music and had natural beauty?

The king's uncle had not yet been buried, his body still lying there, when Liu Yu and Wang came to the door to fight, revealing their ugly behavior.

Is there any way for women in this world?
If there is no man in the family, will you be bullied at will?
Jing Cheng and Jing Hong looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

Jing cried for a while, and gradually her sadness subsided.

She stood up, wiped her tears, and said with a sob, "Put the emperor's uncle in the coffin."

"Sister, what are you doing..." Jing Cheng was a little confused.

"Take the coffin to Guangchengze's courtyard." Jing said firmly: "Although I am a musician, I don't want to commit myself to such a shameless person. Let's go to the courtyard! Guangchengze is a beautiful place with clear water and mountains. The king's uncle will be very happy to be buried there."

"What about the house over here?" Jing Hong asked.

"No need." Jing said, "There is nothing missing in the other courtyard, just go ahead."

The brothers looked at each other and sighed.

What choice did he have at this point? He could only leave.

******
In Situ Mansion, all the "wise men" had arrived, but the atmosphere was solemn and no one spoke for a long time.

The drought is getting worse.

There has been very little rain since spring, and it has completely stopped in the past two months. The crops are drying up and the people are in a state of gloom.

Fortunately, after the autumn harvest last year, a considerable portion of the fields were planted with wheat, which can be harvested this month.

When the river had not yet completely dried up and there was still water in ponds such as Qianjin'e, the imperial court and even the owners of the manors and fort commanders organized the people to fetch water and work day and night to irrigate the land. They have managed to hold on until now to ensure a smooth wheat harvest.

There may be a reduction in production, but most of it can be harvested and stored, which is undoubtedly a great relief.

The millet planted in early February was ruined...

There was no rain during the critical period of rice seedling growth, and the Yishui and Luoshui rivers were about to dry up, but I didn't know how to sustain until the autumn harvest?

I believe that those who did not listen to the advice and did not plant winter wheat after last year's autumn harvest are now in tears.

Really, it’s only the beginning of May, but it seems like we can already see the tragic situation of a barren harvest in the autumn.

How can we live our lives?
"Heaven hates the virtue of Jin" - this is a saying that has only been circulated privately among fathers and sons, brothers, and acquaintances recently, but is known to many people.

Moreover, this sentence has a background: Si Tu Sima Yue bullied the emperor, killed court officials at will, and did evil things, which led to this.

No one dared to say this, but many people believed it, including the shogunate's officials.

Liu Yu knelt there, but his mind was still on Jingshi. That face, that figure, that demeanor, made him itch so much that he wanted to fly to Wang Yan's mansion right now, hold the beauty in his arms, and love her wantonly.

Wang sat not far away, quietly observing Liu Yu's expression, and turned a deaf ear to what the military commander Wang Yan said.

What drought? It's none of my business! It's not like we have no water to drink or no food to eat. Why is that so?

Just a few untouchables died!

There are many people in the Jin Dynasty. There are as many as you need, and there is no shortage of people to farm.

Liu Qingsun wants to compete with me for the Jing family, which is more troublesome. He is more favored by Situ, so I may not be able to win over him.

The king was worried, his brows were furrowed and his face was full of sorrow.

Sima Yue's eyes swept across his face and he nodded secretly.

The king can still be of great use. His concern for his lord is commendable and his loyalty is commendable.

Wang Yan had finished talking about the drought and paused.

The staff members made suggestions one after another, and many of them praised Wang Yan.

The old wall lamp felt secretly happy.

As the drought became more severe, his reputation gradually grew.

Many people know that last year the imperial court sent a letter to all counties in Sizhou, ordering them to plant winter wheat, and this matter was promoted by Wang Yan alone.

He even mobilized all kinds of connections, urged repeatedly, really put in a lot of effort, sold his face, and received countless complaints.

The reason for doing this at that time was that they were worried about the Huns attacking, but unexpectedly it turned out to be a good thing, and they harvested a crop of grain before the river dried up, which really saved their lives.

Hehe, the more you complained about me then, the more you praise me now. How wonderful.

After the staff finished praising him, Sima Yue also praised him a few words, and then mentioned another important event: "After the military officers in the palace were dismissed, some returned to their hometowns, some went south - some went to serve in prefectures and counties, and some surrendered to the Xiongnu!"

"I have received a report that after Liu Yuan moved the capital to Pingyang, he prepared his troops and got help from this man who has no king or father. He has decided to march south."

"Last month, Yuan sent Wang Mi as the commander, Shi Le as the vanguard, and Yuan's son Cong to attack Huguan. The city had fallen for many days. This is the route they took."

In fact, there were some things Sima Yue was embarrassed to say.

Liu Yuan appointed Wang Mi as the Shizhong, the commander-in-chief of the military affairs of Qing, Xu, Yan, Yu, Jing and Yang provinces, the general of the eastern expedition and the governor of Qingzhou. He joined forces with King Liu Cong of Chu to attack Huguan.

Liu Kun sent two generals to rescue, but their entire army was wiped out and both generals died.

Sima Yue did not fail to respond.

He appointed Wang Kuang, the governor of Huainan, as his commander, with 5,000 soldiers from Huainan County and more than 10,000 able-bodied men from Huainan, and generals Shi Rong and Cao Chao, each leading several thousand soldiers from Yu and Yan, totaling 30,000 people, to march north to rescue Huguan.

Shi Rong and Cao Chao suggested not to go north to Bingzhou, but to block the river in Henei to prevent the enemy from attacking Luoyang directly.

Wang Kuang was furious and insisted on advancing, so 30,000 troops entered Shangdang and met Liu Cong at Changping, where they were defeated miserably.

Shi Rong and Cao Chao died in the battle, Wang Kuang disappeared, and more than 19,000 of the 30,000 troops were beheaded.

Liu Cong took advantage of the victory to capture two cities in succession, and Shangdang Prefect Pang Chun surrendered to the Han at Huguan.

Liu Kun appointed the commander Zhang Yi as the governor of Shangdang and held Xiangyuan firmly.

Liu Cong turned his troops to attack Jinyang again, but failed. However, he took the opportunity to recruit some Xiongnu (Tiefu clan), Xianbei (Baibu Xianbei), and Wuhuan tribes that had originally been affiliated with Liu Kun to surrender, and returned with tens of thousands of people and more than ten thousand cavalry.

The war has come to an end in the short term. There may be some mopping-up battles, but they are of no importance to the overall situation.

The Huns beheaded more than 20,000 to 30,000 people, captured more than 10,000 soldiers, seized most of Shangdang, and gained a large number of tribes. This weakened Liu Kun's potential to continue to mobilize the Hu people for help in the war, and it was a great victory.

After listening to Sima Yue's words, Wang Yan began to think about other things.

Wang Kuang (Wang Xizhi's father) was his cousin and was a close friend of Wang Rui of Langya.

After the King of Langya moved south to Jianye, hundreds of members of the Wang clan moved south one after another, obviously placing a heavy bet.

Sima Rui also appointed Wang Kuang as the governor of Huainan to help him stabilize the Jianghuai area.

Sima Yue saw it and must have had some ideas.

He might have been a little afraid of Sima Rui.

The decision to transfer Wang Kuang to lead the southern troops to the north was made three months ago, when Sima Yue had not yet returned to Luoyang.

Wang Kuang's decision to go north to rescue Huguan was a temporary one after the Xiongnu sent out their troops, which might not have been without the intention of consuming Wang Kuang.

Wang Yan had nothing to say about this.

Sima Yue is used to this trick, and this is not the first time.

Last year, he sent Shao Xun north to recapture Yecheng in an attempt to wear him down.

As a result, in the Battle of Yemagang, Shi Le's 60,000-strong army collapsed and failed to achieve the goal of consumption.

This year, Wang Kuang went north to rescue Huguan, but suffered a disastrous defeat in the Battle of Changping, with nearly all of his 30,000 troops wiped out.

Sima Yue succeeded.

Wang Yan could only sigh inwardly: What else can I say when the battle has turned out like this?

"The second Xiongnu army, led by Liu Jing and the traitor Zhu Dan as the vanguard commander, conquered Liyang and defeated Wang Cheqi and Yu Chen, the governor of Ji County, at Yanjin. They have now retreated." Sima Yue continued, "Both Xiongnu armies won great victories and retreated after plundering. Please discuss why this happened, gentlemen."

Everyone was silent for a moment.

Why? Isn't the purpose obvious? Clear the periphery first, then find a ferry to go south to Luoyang.

The Yellow River had not yet dried up, so if the Xiongnu army wanted to move south, they could only use those few ferry crossings.

After capturing Huguan, they could go east from there, enter the three counties of Ji, Wei and Dunqiu, find a ferry to go south, detour through Chenliu and Xingyang, and come from the east of Luoyang.

But by this time, they obviously had a better way to go south - after the Battle of Changping, most of Shangdang had fallen into the hands of the Xiongnu, and they could easily go south to Henei and then directly to Luoyang.

"Situ." Wang Yan didn't want to play any guessing games with Sima Yue anymore, so he gave the answer directly: "After these two victories, the morale of the Xiongnu has greatly increased. They may really go south to Luoyang. This time - there is no way to avoid it."

Sima Yue felt a little unhappy when he heard this.

Is Wang Yifu hinting at something? Let's make it clear!
But he also knew that Wang Yan was right and that there was no way to avoid it this time.

After cleaning up the court and the imperial guards, he now has the final say in Luoyang. With the enemy at the doorstep, he cannot leave. If he leaves again, he may never come back, and in the end, he will only be deserted by his friends and relatives - so you come back to kill people, mess up people's hearts, destroy the morale of the army, and then just walk away?
"Where will the Huns get to Luoyang from?" Sima Yue asked, suppressing his dissatisfaction.

Wang Yan lowered his head and said nothing.

Sima Yue looked around, and finally looked at Liu Yu and asked, "Qing Sun Xiang has a wise plan, can he help me solve my doubts?"

Liu Yu came back to his senses, thought for a moment, and said, "Just as Situ said, the Xiongnu has three routes of advance. The western route goes from the south of Hedong to attack Hongnong, and from the west to the east to attack Luoyang."

"The middle route is to go straight down to Hanoi, and after crossing the river, attack Luoyang from north to south."

"The eastern route is to cross the river from Liyang, attack Xingyang, and go from east to west to Luoyang."

"All three routes are possible. We can divide our forces to guard them and keep the enemy out."

"General Cao is stationed in Dayang, and the king's cavalry is stationed in Baima. These are the two routes. We only need to send more troops to the Henei route and hold it firmly."

Sima Yue nodded slightly.

If we cannot figure out the enemy's movements, we can only divide our forces everywhere, which makes the battle a bit passive.

"Who will be the commander in the direction of Hanoi?" Sima Yue asked again.

Liu Yu understood and immediately said, "Shao Xun, Duke of Luyang County, is brave and good at fighting. He should be the commander."

(End of this chapter)