Chapter 289 Leaving town
Chapter 289 Leaving town
On the morning of February 11, Xun Jun, Yu Min, Wang Xuan and others returned to Luoyang.
When they passed Jianchun Gate, they saw a large group of soldiers heading south, led by Wu Qian, the chief shepherd of Chenhou Mansion.
Old Wu and his eldest son Wu Yong stepped forward to greet him.
Yu Min returned the gift, chatted with him for a few words, and then left.
Wu Qian didn't care.
How could these nobles look at people like them who had no background? The way the prince took was right. He established a group of warriors and occupied Luonan, Xiangcheng and other places. Only in this way could he gain the favor of the nobles and even marry their daughters to them.
He looked at his son, but unfortunately he had already married. But it didn't matter, he still had a grandson, who would definitely marry the officers of the Silver Spear Army and the Yamen Army in the future. We can stick together and help each other, and we don't have to look at the faces of you scholars.
On this side, Wu Qian and others led the newly recruited soldiers south, while several people over there also separated.
Before leaving, Wang Xuan turned his head to take another look at the group of new recruits, but he didn't expect that someone on the opposite side was also looking at him.
That was the residence of the Prince of Nanyang in the capital, located near the former residences of the two rulers of Wu and Shu.
Liang Chen and Wei Fu stood outside the door, quietly watching the Silver Spear Army recruits going away.
A moment later, a carriage drove out of the house and headed towards Jianchun Gate.
Wang Xuan followed behind in a car, and finally found out that their destination was the same, the Palace of the Prince of East Sea.
Princess Liu and Sima Li, the heir of King Fanyang, got off the car one after another and entered the palace surrounded by several servants.
After Wang Xuan greeted the gatekeeper, he also entered the palace.
What a coincidence, as soon as I entered, I saw my father Wang Yan coming out.
"Mei Zi is back." Wang Yan asked casually, sounding worried.
"He came back with Minister Yu and Marquis Jibei. Master seems to be worried about something?" Wang Xuan asked, taking his gaze away from Liu and Sima Li.
"Let's talk over there." Wang Yan sighed and pointed to a pavilion not far away.
The father and son then walked over.
"Chu Zhong fled to Jianye and will never come back." Wang Yan said with a bitter face.
"What?" Wang Xuan was a little surprised.
"The Minister of Rites summoned General Qian Kuai (千貴) of Jianwei to lead an army with Chu Zhong to aid Luoyang. When Kuai arrived at Guangling, he was afraid of the Xiongnu's strength and thought he would die if he went north, so he hesitated to move forward. The King of Langya urged him repeatedly, Kuai became furious, and then he rebelled and honored Sun Hao's son as the King of Wu." Wang Yan said: "Chu Zhong - has been defeated and fled south to Jianye."
Wang Xuan subconsciously felt that something was wrong and asked, "Since Qian Yu is rebelling in Guangling, what does it have to do with Uncle Chu Zhong? He can just go back to Luoyang through secret roads."
Wang Yan's face turned even more bitter when he heard this, and he said, "Chu Zhong sent someone to deliver a letter back, saying that he was going to report to the King of Langya and could not return to Luoyang."
Wang Xuan felt that something was wrong, but after seeing his father's expression, he understood.
The messenger can return to Luoyang, but can’t Uncle Chuzhong return?
Qian Kui led his army to rebel and fought a battle with Uncle Chu Zhong. Such a big thing must have been reported to Zhou Fu of Shouchun and Sima Rui of Jianye by countless people. Is it necessary for you to go there in person to report?
Furthermore, Uncle Chuzhong is already the General of the Right Guard of the Imperial Guards. If he doesn’t come back, what will happen to this position?
What's going on!
There has never been a moment like this when Wang Xuan blamed his uncle so much.
If the government is not going to work, then you can run away. But at this critical moment, why are you running away?
Even if the Wang family of Langya was not the first group of scholars to migrate south, they were the ones who went there relatively early. Now, there are hundreds of them living near Jianye, and Uncle Maohong is the Langya king's chief adviser. Is there any need for you to move over there?
Luoyang is even more short of people now!
"Things have come to this, there is no point in complaining." Wang Yan took a deep breath, adjusted his mood, and forced a smile.
Wang Xuan looked at his father's face and anger gradually rose in his heart.
My father is so shameless that he works everywhere to get personal connections, and he is so patient in scheming against others. Isn't it all for the family?
Wang Chuzhong, ask yourself, when did your father help you to deal with your troubles? When did your father help you to deal with the troubles you caused?
When you were appointed as the governor of Qingzhou, you abandoned your wife and subordinates and rode back to Luoyang alone because you encountered bandits on the road, which made you a laughing stock. If someone else had done such a thing, even if they didn't die, they would never have been able to rise again. As a result, your father sold his reputation and paid a lot of money to help you get the positions of Secretary General, Zhongshu Supervisor, and then Governor of Yangzhou, so that you could stand up again.
You can’t even be that nice to your own son!
Now that I need your help, how do you repay your father? You ungrateful person!
"Grandpa, what should we do with the Right Guard General? How about calling for people from Langya or Jianye?" Wang Xuan suggested after calming down.
"It's too late..." Wang Yan looked up at the sky.
Maybe this is what it means to doubt life.
He tried to make a profit for the family, but in the end, he found that the family was full of good-for-nothings, which disappointed him time and time again.
Not even as good as the outsider Shao Xun!
He always shows up when you need him, although it comes at a price.
But Wang Yan is not afraid of paying the price. He has long been accustomed to making deals with others. What he fears most are people who are unreasonable, impossible to communicate with, and cannot do business with.
The most reliable people are actually outsiders!
"Does the Right Guard General already have someone?" Wang Xuan was shocked.
"Yes." Wang Yan nodded and said, "The beggar army has arrived at the northern suburbs of Luoyang, led by Li Yun, with a total of 15,000 to 16,000 people. The prime minister appointed Li Yun as the right guard general to reorganize the imperial guards." Li Yun was a former subordinate of Sima Teng, the former governor of Bingzhou. He served as a county magistrate, prefect, and general, and finally became a beggar general. It's also a black humor.
The Beggars' Army was probably the most initially "organized" refugee army in history. Officials from the state, prefecture and county leadership teams personally "went into the sea" and took them to Hebei to beg for food. They were a standard refugee army within the system - a very magical thing, and a characteristic of the Jin Dynasty.
"Can you think of a solution?" Wang Xuan asked anxiously.
Wang Yan shook his head and said, "We discussed an important matter today. Situ is going to go to the outer vassal state."
Afterwards, Wang Yan explained it in detail.
Since the Xiongnu army retreated in early November last year and Luoyang was saved from danger, the court has entered a new round of reshuffle.
Within three months, the emperor gradually gained the support of a group of people: led by Xun Fan and Xun Zu, and Liu Tun also slightly inclined towards the emperor.
Sima Yue was in poor health, and people were divided. He felt increasingly uneasy and subconsciously wanted to do something.
In addition, the grain in the Taicang warehouse at Dongyang Gate was becoming increasingly scarce. After the arrival of 10,000 to 20,000 beggar soldiers, the expenditure on money and food was becoming increasingly huge, and the company could not sustain the business for long.
Under such circumstances, Sima Yue decided to go to Yanzhou - it happened that a year ago, he was still the governor of Yanzhou.
Yanzhou is adjacent to Yuzhou, Xuzhou and Qingzhou, and has jurisdiction over six states, namely Puyang, Dongping, Jibei, Chenliu, Rencheng and Gaoping, and two counties, Taishan and Jiyin, totaling eight counties and states, with a large population and abundant resources.
The people currently in power in Xuzhou are Wang Long and Pei Dun.
The former was born into the Wang family of Donghai and was a close confidant of the Prime Minister. His official position was "supervising the military affairs of Xuzhou" (du-governor).
The latter was the elder brother of Princess Pei and the governor of Xuzhou.
After being stationed in Yanzhou, it would be easier to control Xuzhou - at least before Sima Yue's death, as his base camp and the hometown of many scholars in the shogunate, Xuzhou could not be turned upside down.
Wang Yan once suspected that Sima Yue had gone crazy and wanted to kill Gou Xi before he died to vent his anger?
It's not impossible.
It is difficult to guess a person's mental state before he dies.
On the other hand, if the Gou brothers were eliminated (Gou Xi was the governor of Qingzhou, and Gou Chun was the governor), Qingzhou was taken, and Yan, Xu, and Qing were united into one, it would be a very large vassal state.
Would Situ consider using these three states as a base and handing them over to his son to control?
No one knows what he thinks.
Anyway, he has no future in Luoyang, and his power is being eroded day by day. It would be better for him to go to a vassal state outside the capital, where he can survive for a while.
It's not easy for Situ either. He really risked his life for the prince.
"Si Tu wants to take the army with him. How can we do that?" Wang Xuan was a little anxious. "If the Xiongnu attacks, how can we defend ourselves without soldiers?"
"What Situ wants to take away are 15,000 soldiers from the Left and Right Armies, plus 15,000 beggars. If it were just these 30,000 people, no one would be able to stop him, as these were the troops Situ brought to Luoyang." Wang Yan said, "With 10,000 soldiers from the Right Guard, there might be some reason. The only one who can stop Situ is Marquis Chen, but I don't know if he is willing to break up with Situ for these people. After all, he would also like to see Situ go to the outer vassal state."
Wang Xuan sighed, feeling unsure about what to feel.
Who should I blame? It seems that no one can be blamed.
I gave you a chance, but you didn't seize it. Who can you blame?
"Let's talk about the trip to Yingchuan." Wang Yan frowned, feeling exhausted.
"Yu Min used the power of the other party to subdue the Xun family. Yingchuan should obey Chen Hou." Wang Xuan said, "Chen Hou made a condition. Chen Kuang was appointed as the governor, and the families provided money, food, and people to help Chen Hou in his wars. In return, Yingchuan would remain the same. The conditions were very generous. The Yingyang Tinghou of the Xun family was probably going to die of illness, and the family business would not be able to be saved. Because Chen Hou wanted to set up auxiliary troops and cultivate land in Yingyin, the Xun family would definitely have to give up some land and people. Xun Xian's family might not have enough land."
Wang Yan nodded.
It was inevitable that the Xun family would surrender. What could they do? Ask the emperor to issue an edict to let the matter go? Would he pay attention to you? This was a military leader who was known for his domineering behavior.
The death of Xun Xian and the giving up of some land would be the best outcome for the Xun family.
And it was the first time that Lord Chen reached out to the iron wall of Yingchuan, and he did it in such a gentle and decent way, trying out his skills and attracting attention.
In addition, Wang Yan did not think that this was the final outcome of the Xun family.
No one can guarantee what will happen in the future after the troops are stationed at Yingyang Pavilion.
The world is getting faster and faster!
After the father and son finished their chat, Wang Yan wanted to continue the military meeting, and Wang Xuan was also prepared to sit in. After all, he was a soldier, although he had not yet returned from leave.
At this moment, Princess Pei of Donghai came out hugging Princess Liu of Nanyang.
Liu's face looked deathly pale and her eyes were red and swollen.
Pei's face was tense and she seemed very unhappy.
Sima Li looked confused, not knowing what was going on.
The Wang family father and son didn't look at it any further and went straight to the study.
(End of this chapter)