Chapter 338 Dealing with

Chapter 338 Dealing with

Chapter 338 Dealing with
In the first month of the fifth year of Yongjia (311), there was not much laughter and joy for the military and civilians in Luoyang.

A lot of people have left, and now there are only about 100,000 people living in Luoyang city and its surrounding counties.

Even if we include the common people, fortress residents, and refugees from several remote counties, the total population is no more than 300,000.

Such is the devastation of war.

Looking back to the prosperous Taikang period, the entire Henan County had a population of over 750,000, and the actual population was probably over one million. If the floating population is included, the number would be even greater.

Only thirty years had passed, and Luoyang, once the center of the world, had seen a sharp drop in population, agricultural decline, and intermittent commerce. In four years, the capital had been besieged three times, and the signs of the country's demise were becoming increasingly obvious.

In politics, since Wang Jun took office as the governor of Jizhou, the prestige of the imperial court has been declining, and many people have begun to take the imperial court less and less seriously.

In terms of wealth, the huge Luoyang completely relied on Jing, Yang, Xiang, Jiang, Xu, Qing and other states that suffered less damage from the war to provide taxes and grain. Now Jingzhou is in chaos, Qingzhou has also started a war, and the prestige of the court has declined. I don't know how much grain can be transported this year.

The court is really too difficult.

Due to this predicament, this year's New Year's Day grand court meeting was held in a very simple and shabby manner, which made the Emperor Sima Chi very angry, and he did not recover until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

On this day, the palace made bean porridge and invited relatives to gather together.

Princess Xiangcheng Sima Xiuwei, as the emperor's sister, of course also received an invitation.

Queen Liang Lanbi held her hand and strolled in the courtyard.

Sima Xiuwei looked at his sister-in-law with a little envy.

At the age of twenty-four, she was at the most beautiful age in a woman's life, with a hint of mature charm in her youth. After being the queen for several years, she had developed some demeanor, which reminded Sima Xiuwei of his younger self.

As her father's favorite daughter, her dowry was many times that of others, and she was also very beautiful, so she eventually married into the Wang family.

Alas, it’s hard to look back on the past.

Maybe I was also wrong. I was too arrogant and didn't take my husband seriously. Now it's too late to say anything.

There was no way she could forgive Wang Dun, and there was no way Wang Dun could forgive her. That was it.

The relationship between the Queen and the Emperor seems to be good.

However, according to Sima Xiuwei's observation, between the two, the queen might like the emperor more, while the emperor did not care much about the queen.

"The Queen has been married to Your Majesty for several years, but they still don't have any children?" Sima Xiuyi asked casually as they walked and arrived at a garden.

Liang Lanbi's face first turned red, then pale, and finally she looked at Sima Xiuzhi in panic.

Sima Xiuwei was confused. What was there to be alarmed about?
The emperor not only had no children with the empress, but also with all his concubines.

It has been five years since the Yongjia period. In addition, during the period of Prince Yuzhang, the emperor, who had been married for seven years, not only had no son, but also no daughter. This was obviously not the queen's problem.

Is it necessary to be so panicked?
Liang Lanbi's hands clenched subconsciously. She thought the princess knew something, so she said, "Princess, please don't mention this again. Your Majesty is just worried about state affairs and is too tired. Just take a rest."

Sima Xiuwei was dumbfounded.

Liang Lanbi took a few quick steps, pointed at the plum blossoms in front of her, and said, "In winter, only the subtle fragrance of wintersweets can make people feel happy."

Sima Xiuwei hummed lightly, still thinking about what the queen had just said.

After a long time, he sighed.

Perhaps, the previous fighting among the kings was too brutal, and the King of Donghai was too rude to the emperor, leading to this.

Seeing that the princess was absent-minded, Liang Lanbi stopped talking.

After a pause, he said softly: "I heard that the princess and Lord Chen have a lot of contacts..."

"Who told you that?" Sima Xiuwei asked, narrowing his eyes.

Others were afraid of the queen, but she was not. Liang Lanbi actually mentioned this matter in front of her, so don't blame her for not giving face.

Liang Lanbi seemed not to notice Sima Xiu's expression, and said to herself: "If the princess still cares about the relationship between flesh and blood, why not share more of His Majesty's worries."

"Is this what Your Majesty wants?" Sima Xiuyi asked.

The meaning was very clear. The emperor heard the rumor from somewhere and thought that she and Marquis Chen had some hidden relationship, so he actually wanted the queen to persuade her to be a spy and find out the news.

Haha, it’s indeed the emperor’s style.

"That's what I mean." Liang Lanbi said.

Sima Xiuyi sighed and asked, "Does the Queen know that if you say so, you will have to go to Jinyong City if anything happens in the future?"

Liang Lanbi's face turned pale, and then she thought of the emperor's increasingly furrowed brows and worried face, shook her lips, and said firmly: "I am here to share your majesty's worries. If it doesn't work, forget it, and don't let Lord Chen know."

Sima Xiuwei was speechless.

Although the Marquis of Chen was domineering, it was impossible for him to openly do harm to the emperor.

This kind of thing could be done by the princes, and even Xun Fan and Wang Yan could do it with some effort, but the Marquis of Chen could not do it.

Is it necessary to target him?
Don’t let it happen that in the end, the only person willing to defend Luoyang becomes discouraged and unwilling to contribute anymore.

Sima Xiuyi didn't understand. What good would this do for the emperor? Why did he like to make such a fuss?

"The Queen is the mother of the country and has benefited all people. If the emperor makes mistakes, we should advise him and not indulge him blindly." Sima Xiu said sternly, "The Marquis of Chen has no intention of rebelling. The prophecy must be a plot of the Xiongnu and should not be taken seriously. Besides, the Marquis of Chen is only twenty-four years old. At such a young age, he can barely be a prefect, let alone a provincial governor or a governor-general. How can he rebel?"

Liang Lanbi lowered her head and said nothing.

Sima Xiuwei was angry when he saw her expression, and said, "If it is inconvenient for you, I will advise the emperor." Liang Lanbi subconsciously wanted to stop her, but finally sighed and gave up.

Perhaps, she didn't quite agree with the emperor's actions.

In this world, the more you struggle, the easier it is to make mistakes, and the worse the results will be.

But what can she do?

******
On the 21st day of the first lunar month, Sima Chi summoned brothers Xun Fan and Xun Zu to the palace to discuss matters.

"General Gou Dao defeated Cao Qiu in Linzi." Seeing his two loyal ministers, Sima Chi smiled and couldn't wait to announce the report he had just received.

This was the second war between Gou Xi and Cao Yi.

Both times took place at the gates of Linzi City, and Gou Xi won both times.

Especially this time, Gou Xi did not encounter the destined strong wind, and he and Gou Chun in Linzi City attacked the enemy from both inside and outside, and defeated the enemy in one fell swoop. According to historical records, the battle between the two sides took place on the 14th day of the first lunar month. When the battle started, a strong wind suddenly blew, and dust filled the sky. Although it was morning, the sky was dark, and the wind direction was not favorable for Gou Xi's army, so they retreated. Cao Wei took advantage of the situation to pursue them, and Xi's army was defeated, with many surrendering.

But the time of the battle between the two sides in this time and space has changed. Gou Xi did not encounter the sandstorm that prevented his soldiers from shooting arrows, breathing through his mouth and nose, and making it difficult for him to stand steadily. He defeated Cao Qi in one fell swoop and won the second victory.

This is fate, good or bad, it’s hard to tell.

But Gou Xi also failed to drive Cao Wei out of Qingzhou due to his political failure.

Cao Yi led 5,000 men eastward, and when he arrived in Qingzhou, he had gathered a large number of soldiers from Jizhou and Yanzhou, and his number reached tens of thousands.

Afterwards, believers of Tianshi Dao came to surrender one after another and provided guides, intelligence, money, food and weapons.

The most amazing thing is that some Qingzhou nobles and powerful families would rather support the rebel Cao Yi than kill the governor (Gou Chun) and the commander-in-chief (Gou Xi) appointed by the court, especially Gou Xi who was known as "Tu Bo".

It can be said that Cao Qi had a very good mass base in Qingzhou, and Gou Xi's situation was very bad. Except for his soldiers and generals, everyone was happy to see him die.

However, Cao Wei's army had too many new recruits and weak combat effectiveness. Although its number of troops was several times that of Gou Xi, it suffered two consecutive defeats.

In comparison, although Gou Xi had only 10,000 or 20,000 troops, they were powerful, experienced, and well-trained. In a head-on battle, he defeated Cao Qiu twice.

The fight between these two people will probably continue.

As for who will win? If Shao Xun were to comment, he would only have one sentence: "Military is the continuation of politics."

But Emperor Sima Chi was very excited. He felt that General Gou Dao was still a capable man and a pillar of the court and could be of great use.

When Xun Fan and Xun Zu heard the news, they did not show much joy.

In their opinion, there has never been a governor who could keep his position after losing the support of the gentry.

Gou Xi was cruel in his methods in Qingzhou and oppressed the gentry, earning him the nickname "Butcher Bo".

He was arrogant and extravagant, neglected state affairs, and greatly disappointed people.

His reputation has become extremely bad and not many people support him.

In troubled times, relying solely on a strong army is not enough.

You also need the support of the aristocratic families, otherwise there is no other way but defeat.

To put it bluntly, even Shi Le knew how to build a "Gentleman Camp" to win over the gentry and powerful people in Hebei. In this regard, Gou Xi was not even as good as Shi Le, let alone that "Taibai".

He was clearly doing things that were hurtful to the interests of the gentry, but he was very skilled in using one faction to attack another. It really made people wonder if he was only twenty-four years old - and it was fortunate that he was only twenty-four years old. If he was older, there would not be so many people opposing his appointment as a governor.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty." Xun Fan bowed and congratulated him, "If General Gou Dao continues to work hard and captures and kills Cao Yi, Qingzhou will be out of danger."

"I congratulate Your Majesty." Zhongshujian Xun Zu also said: "The Gou brothers have repeatedly defeated stubborn enemies. Your Majesty has found someone good."

Sima Chi laughed heartily twice and said, "What reward should I give to General Gou Dao?"

Xun Zu didn't say anything. Xun Fan pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty may give him a higher title."

"Please try to explain it to me." Sima Chi said.

"Increase his fief to ten thousand households."

Sima Chi nodded happily upon hearing this and said, "Your words are very much in line with my wishes. You can increase Gou Xi's food to 10,000 households."

"Your Majesty," Xun Zu said, "Gou Xi has made great contributions in defeating Cao Qi, so it is natural that he should be rewarded. Shao Xun, the Southern Army General, also made great contributions in protecting the grain transport and defeating Hou Tuo and Wang Sang, so perhaps his fiefdom can be increased."

When Sima Chi heard this, his expression became a little uncertain.

Why are there so many people around me speaking for Shao Xun?
First, the imperial sister, Princess Xiangcheng, said that Shao Xun was a loyal minister of the court and should be rewarded generously. Now, the Zhongshujian Xun Zu also recommended merit for Shao Xun.

Sima Chi was even more puzzled when he saw that Xun Fan, who had a grudge against Shao Xun for killing his son, did not object.

Is it so difficult for me to deal with a minister?
He looked at the two ministers.

Erxun lowered his head and remained silent.

After a long while, Sima Chi snorted and said, "Then Shao Xun will be granted the title of Duke of Chen County, with a fief of 6,000 households."

"Your Majesty is wise." They said.

Sima Chi felt upset and thought to himself that he had to contact Gou Xi secretly.

So he decided not to discuss this issue and instead said, "Let's discuss Zhou Fu's matter..."

(End of this chapter)