Chapter 309 Repatriation
Chapter 309 Repatriation
The ninth day of the ninth month of the fourth year of the Yongjia reign of the Jin Dynasty (310 AD) was the Double Ninth Festival.
The court has now become a market, with endless quarrels, which is a headache for the emperor. Sometimes he wonders why the ministers have so much energy to quarrel, are they too full?
But he was also somewhat happy.
The court in the fourth year of Yongjia was probably the most dynamic court in many years.
The only powerful minister was far away in Yanzhou, and his prestige had plummeted and his influence was much less than before.
Chen Hou Shao Xun was arrogant and domineering, which attracted people's attention, but he was of too humble origin and lacked appeal, so there was no need to worry too much - if it weren't for the prophecy, Sima Chi would not even bother to pay attention to him, but would have pursued Sima Yue relentlessly.
The Luoyang court today is closer to normal state than ever before.
Wang Yan has the greatest power, but he cannot cover the whole world with one hand.
The others each have their own factions, and each of them takes away some of the power.
The emperor acted as the referee and determined right from wrong, and his importance greatly increased.
This is the real Son of Heaven.
When leaving the Daxia Gate, Sima Chi sighed comfortably, which attracted the attention of Empress Liang, who asked him with concern.
Sima Chi ignored him and said, "I have been lying dormant for several months. I am going to do something."
"Your Majesty." Liang Lanbi looked at the emperor worriedly, not knowing what to say.
She knew that her husband had been living a very depressed life over the years and had rarely tasted the power.
After Sima Yue left the city, he waited cautiously, then used his power step by step. After several months of efforts, he successfully brought some court officials to his side.
And just last month, he began to win over the officers of the Left Guard and Right Guard, trying to directly control the guards.
If this could be achieved, then he would be the true emperor and would no longer be restrained by anyone.
Well, this is Liang Lanbi’s own idea.
However, my father (General Liang Fen) did not seem to think so.
After the emperor was suspected of "ruling the country himself", he spoke even less and became more cautious. Apart from interacting with the samurai and officials who were also from Guanxi, he had almost no social activities, lived in seclusion, and did not cause any trouble. His intention to protect himself was very obvious.
Are you so pessimistic about the emperor? Liang Lanbi was a little sad. If that was the case, why did you marry me to him back then?
She thought of the carnival that took place many years ago.
Yu Wenjun followed closely behind her, looking at her elder sister with admiration.
They also met Chen Hou Shao Xun. Liang Lanbi thought about it seriously for a long time, but couldn't remember what Shao Xun looked like at that time.
Yes, she ignored him too much at that time and didn't take him seriously at all. Liang Lanbi didn't even remember the polite words she said.
Yu Wenjun must still remember it.
She often mentioned this man, her eyes full of admiration and admiration.
It was heaven's will that she could marry Shao Xun.
Thinking of this, Liang Lanbi sighed. Once upon a time, she still felt that this marriage was not good, very unfair to Yu Wenjun, and would delay her life. But now... who knows!
"The Queen is worried about me?" Sima Chi turned his head and glanced at the silent Liang Lanbi, laughed and said, "There is no need to be so. Look at the imperial guards guarding the imperial chariot."
Liang Lanbi looked outside.
General Li Yun of the Right Guard led the way with 300 cavalrymen, and a large group of armored soldiers guarded on both sides, stretching for several miles.
There were many people standing on the roadside - well, they didn't seem to be residents, but more like refugees.
The refugees were carrying the elderly and children, all in rags. Perhaps because they were hungry, they walked unsteadily.
There were some strong men in the team who seemed to be living a little better, but they also looked pale.
An officer walked over and drove them out, cursing at them and asking them to kneel down at a distance.
Their actions were very rough. Some children were already staggering with hunger and had no strength left. They fell to the ground with a slight push and were then stepped on by countless people.
His father was as fierce as a mad tiger, trying his best to squeeze into the crowd, holding his child's broken body, tears streaming down his face.
"You dog official! The Sima family will not die well!" The man shouted in grief and anger, "One day, the Jin Dynasty will be destroyed, all the male members of the Sima family will die, and all the female members of the Sima family will be taken into the rooms of others and abused day and night. I have been waiting for this day!"
Sima Chi heard it all, his face turned pale and his eyes were fierce.
General Miao Yuan in the palace observed the man's expression, quietly left the imperial carriage, and took a dozen soldiers with him to drag the man away.
"General?" The guards looked at him, their hands on the hilt of their swords.
"He is also a pitiful person." Miao Yuan sighed and said, "Take a roll of mat and bury this child. As for this person, let him go."
The guards followed the order.
"Wait." Miao Yuan stopped them.
He turned around and looked at the refugees who looked like zombies.
At this point, the refugees who are still alive are not simple.
Either they had some stored food, but it was almost all eaten up after the locust plague, and seeing that the autumn harvest was gone, they could no longer hold on, so they fled with the last bit of food they had left.
Either they had come out in groups to beg, or they had fought with other refugees on the way, and lived a hard life by stealing food or even corpses, and barely survived to the present.
In fact, not all of the refugees in the army are civilians.
Do you think that the common people could not bear the two consecutive years of disasters? Wrong. Some scholars, powerful people, and merchants with less wealth could not hold on any longer. They also joined the army of refugees, becoming part of the wandering begging and robbing people.
The world is becoming increasingly difficult, and it's not just the ordinary people who are suffering. Everyone is drawn into it, struggling to survive.
"There are about a hundred refugees in this group, right? Give each of them two Hu bings and tell them that going to Guangchengze or Liang County may help them save their lives," Miao Yuan ordered.
"General, why bother? We can save this group, but we can't save others. Even in Guangcheng Lake, food is tight. How many people can survive?"
"Someone once said, if you haven't seen it, it's fine, but if you have seen it, how can you bear it? Execute it." After giving the order, Miao Yuan returned to the imperial chariot.
Just at this time, he heard the emperor delivering an order: "... I used to pity these people, thinking they were all innocent, but I didn't expect them to be so heartless. Previously, Jing and Yu states submitted a petition to send the refugees back to their hometowns, but Wang Yifu strongly opposed it, and Yu Ziju and Liu Changsheng didn't quite agree either, so I hesitated. Humph, it seems that I am too good to them. Pass on my order, all the governors of the states and counties, send troops quickly, send the refugees back to their hometowns, and keep them under strict supervision, and there must be no mistakes!"
"…What do you mean by fear of trouble? I am the Son of Heaven, my words are the law, and my words are the law. This matter must be done no matter what. Once you finish drafting the edict, send it to the Secretariat and the Chancellery. I have always followed their instructions on other matters and never said anything. If you still object to this matter, hmph!"
"...Just do it. Don't hesitate."
Miao Yuan listened silently.
After a while, the secretary finished drafting the imperial edict, stamped it, and then an official took it away. Miao Yuan sighed.
He could understand the emperor. No one could stand being insulted in person, let alone at such a sensitive moment.
If you said this during the Taikang period, few people would believe it.
Saying this during the Yongjia period sounded like a curse.
The emperor's reaction just proved that he was very afraid.
Miao Yuan was a little worried.
Recently, the emperor summoned him many times and rewarded him with a lot of money and property.
To be honest, he was a little tempted. But when he thought of the officers and soldiers of the imperial guards who were purged and dismissed by the King of Donghai after being awarded the title of marquis, his heart turned cold again.
Is there a future in following the emperor? This is a question that needs to be carefully considered.
But he also had to admit that many people were tempted, including the Left Guard, Right Guard, and Cavalry.
Everyone has their own aspirations. There’s nothing we can do about it. Just let him be.
******
The emperor's angry edict soon reached the Secretariat.
There was no Shangshu Ling at that time, and Zuo Pushe was the highest official in the Shangshu system. Liu Tun was on duty and frowned slightly when he saw it.
So he asked, "Didn't the emperor go to Mount Mang to climb the mountain? Why is he concerned about the dispute between the residents and the refugees?"
The official who delivered the imperial edict replied softly, "Your Majesty was traveling north. After leaving the Great Xia Gate, he encountered refugees who attacked him. The Emperor was furious and ordered the refugees to be sent back. The officials in all states should handle the matter immediately without any mistakes."
Liu Tun pondered for a while.
Xincai King Sima Que, Jingzhou Governor Shan Jian, and Inspector Wang Cheng successively submitted memorials to the emperor, bitterly describing the harm done by the refugees and requesting an imperial decree to send them back to their hometowns.
Liu Tun was a little hesitant.
Yu Min did not agree very much, thinking that the refugees were unwilling to return home and that it was unnecessary and would be a waste of money.
Wang Yan strongly opposed it, believing that it would cause trouble. It is said that he even wrote a letter to scold Wang Cheng, asking him to change his mind, oppose the repatriation of refugees, and allocate money and food for their resettlement so as not to cause unrest among the refugees.
Liu Tun understood Wang Yan's ideas.
Yi Fu did not want to see unrest in any place, because unrest would waste money and grain, and he would not be able to collect taxes, which would make it very difficult for him to handle the situation.
Thinking of this, he smiled. Wang Yifu had been tortured by the issue of money and grain until now, and he didn't know how much of his life would be shortened.
However, precisely because he was able to obtain money and food, his status in the court was extremely high, and everyone had to give him some face.
Everything has its pros and cons.
"The Xiongnu have retreated, so there is no need to confront the emperor over such a small matter." Liu Tun chuckled and said, "Leave it to the Secretariat and ask it to draft the imperial edict."
The edict spoken by the emperor or drafted by his close ministers is not an official decree. It needs to be formally issued by the Secretariat and go through a series of procedures before it can take effect.
The above is the normal situation, but it may not be the case in abnormal situations.
For example, when the previous emperor was on an "expedition" to Yecheng, his army was defeated and he could only pass on his orders verbally or have any of the ministers around him draft an edict and send it out - sometimes there was not even paper or silk to write the edict.
In fact, this rule is not so strict at this time.
It was not until the Sui and Tang dynasties that the process was truly strictly followed. The Shangshu, Zhongshu, and Menxia each had their own duties and were accountable to the prime ministers in the Zhengshi Hall.
The Secretariat drafted the imperial edict, the Menxia reviewed and approved it, the six ministries under the Shangshu Sheng were responsible for specific implementation, and the Censor was responsible for supervision.
If the emperor's will is not processed through the three ministries, it would be a challenge to the prime minister's authority and a serious violation. In theory, the prime minister can directly fight back, and the system allows and supports him to do so - in short, the six ministries are responsible to the prime minister, not to the emperor as in the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Of course, in actual practice, the game between the power of the emperor and the power of the prime minister is very complicated. Sometimes the power of the emperor overwhelms the power of the prime minister, and sometimes the power of the prime minister overwhelms the power of the emperor. It all depends on the specific circumstances at the time.
Shangshu Zuo Pushe Liu Tun felt that there was no need to make things difficult for the emperor over such a small matter, make him unhappy, and then sing a different tune on other "big things".
He believed that the Zhongshu and Menxia had the same view.
It’s just sending back the refugees, what’s the big deal!
He had more important things to worry about now.
After half a month of arguing in the court, they still could not convict General Shao Xun of the Southern Army. This made the emperor very unhappy and even more frightened.
Before we knew it, Shao Xun had so many "followers" in the court.
Yu Min, the minister of state who was involved in confidential affairs, spoke for him.
On the Shangshutai side, Liu Tun also spoke for Shao Xun.
Taiwei Wang Yan had many old friends in the court, and they joined hands to smooth things over, hoping to make a big issue small and a small issue disappear.
Perhaps, the emperor could not figure out how a military strategist of humble origin could be so troublesome that even he, the ruler of the world, could not punish him.
Whose court is this?
"Oh." Liu Tun sighed heavily.
Of course the imperial court belongs to the Sima family, but we don't want it to fall apart.
The Huns are sharpening their knives and are ready to march south at any time. When they need people, please don't act rashly, okay?
Tolerance is the key to the country, this is what Shao Xun often said, and Liu Tun deeply agreed with him.
Who doesn’t have some problems?
Who hasn’t made any mistakes?
If it were a peaceful time, Liu Tun would think that Shao Xun's actions were tantamount to treason and he should be punished.
But the times are different now. If those who can fight are punished because of “a small matter”, who will defend Luoyang?
Of course, Liu Tun also understood that people like Shao Xun were actually undermining the foundation of the imperial court and were extremely ambitious - anyone with a little insight could see that.
Perhaps, sooner or later, Shao Xun will be able to completely break away from the imperial court and establish his own regime.
But so what? Who else would be willing to die for the Jin Dynasty?
When disaster strikes, everyone flees. When the imperial court can no longer survive, everyone uses their own connections and thinks of their own solutions.
On September 12, in just three days, the emperor's edict was sent to all states, with incredibly high efficiency.
After receiving the imperial edict, the "Three Giants" of Jingzhou - Governor Wang Cheng, Commander-in-Chief of the Military Affairs of Jing, Ning and Yi Provinces Shan Jian, General Fenwei, and Supervisor of the Military Affairs of Mianyang North Du Rui - met together and decided to recruit troops, allocate money and food, and send the refugees from Guanzhong living in the territory back to Yong, Qin and other places.
The undercurrent hidden beneath the water surface immediately began to surge.
(End of this chapter)