Chapter 1115 Incapacitation

Chapter 1115 Incapacitation

Chapter 1115 Incapacitation
It was already late February, and it was raining outside the imperial mausoleum.

Wang Dao looked solemn as he looked at the moss-covered Jianping Mausoleum in silence.

The Great Jin Emperor Yuan (Sima Rui) and his empress are buried here. Construction began many years ago, but because the court was short of money, it is not magnificent or grand, but it is not bad.

Wang Yue held onto the tree trunk in front of the tomb and couldn't help coughing. As he coughed, a hint of red actually seeped out from between his fingers.

Wang Dao came back to his senses and looked at his son, his expression turned sad again.

This was not the first time Wang Yue had coughed up blood. In the past few years, his health had deteriorated and no medicine could cure him.

Just a few days ago, Wang Dao even dreamed that a divine person came into his house and told him that Wang Yue would not live long and he should make preparations early. Wang Dao woke up at that moment and couldn't help but burst into tears when he recalled the dream.

No matter how powerful he was, he was still a father. How could he bear to see his child, who had grown up little by little, pass away before him? Especially since this child pleased him very much and was very sensible.

"Grandpa." Wang Yue quietly wiped the corners of her mouth, hid the handkerchief, and forced a smile, "Why don't you call more people here today?"

"As a father, I disdain to use such means to make people submit." Director Wang shook his head.

This is not an exaggeration.

In recent years, he has basically accomplished everything he wanted to promote in the court. Some of them encountered great resistance, but he cleverly took advantage of the situation or simply made deals with people in private, and finally completed them, such as the "Tuduanjianhu" matter.

The four tasks of local administration, household inspection, conscription and grain collection are actually one and the same.

Even during the Jingxiang War, the local riots never stopped. Over the years, more than 55,000 households have been registered, including many local people from Jiangnan who live in Qiao County.

With these 50,000 or 60,000 households, the court had more money to spend, and even conscription became easier, as it could be directly recruited for training. If these people were in the hands of the wealthy, it would be inconvenient for you to do anything, and they would have to train themselves, and the quality of their troops would vary, with some being fairly good at fighting and others being a complete mess.

Of course, the Jiangdong nobles have been relatively obedient in recent years, perhaps because they have sensed the crisis. Not only have they contributed money and food to help the court build the Taicheng—the Xianyang and Huiyin Palaces are under construction—they have also taken the initiative to send troops, food, and ships to help the court resist foreign aggression.

At the end of last year, more than 5,000 soldiers from the Gu, Qian and Zhang families followed Liu Kun northward and stationed along the Huai River.

Another 7,000 soldiers and horses from the Zhu, He and Zhou families were sent to garrison in Hefei, Liyang and Lujiang areas.

Just this month, more than 10,000 soldiers from the Yu, Kong, Xu, Lu and other tribes marched west to Wuchang to strengthen the defense line of Jingzhou.

These troops did not require the court to bear any expenses. They transported food and equipment themselves, took the initiative to undertake defense, and their fighting spirit was stronger than that of the imperial guards.

Honestly speaking, Wang Dao felt that they were much more reliable than the scholars who had moved south. At least when it came to defending their country, they were very resolute, unlike some people who were indecisive.

However, Wang Dao also knew that he was ultimately a member of the aristocratic family who had migrated south.

He could cooperate with the Jiangdong nobles and even offer some benefits. For example, half of the court officials are from Wu, but most of them are middle and lower-level officials. Wang Dao could give them more middle and upper-level positions, but there must be a limit.

If we simply try to bribe them, at best the people of Wu will become more and more demanding, and at worst the scholars who have moved south will be dissatisfied. It is still very difficult to strike the right balance.

However, given the situation, what can be simple?
"Changyu, you should rest at home for the next few days." Director Wang walked to his son's side and said softly, "Spend more time with your mother. Don't think too much, don't worry too much, just rest."

Wang Yue smiled carefreely and said, "Life and death are determined by fate. If I can do more for my father and continue the family business and even the country, wouldn't it be better than living in confusion for most of my life?"

Wang Dao looked sad. He couldn't imagine how sad his wife would be when his son died.

Seeing his father like this, Wang Yue sighed and said, "Grandpa, I understand. I will rest when I get home, but——"

At this point, he tightened his clothes and said, "Now the Jin Dynasty is like my body. It can still last for a few years if it rests. Maybe one day it will usher in a turnaround. But if it is too severe, oh. Zhuge Daoming should not move for the time being. Some people in the court are more concerned about the Langya Wang family than the Liang people. If my father joins hands with the Queen of Shan, I am afraid that some people will not be able to sit still, which is not good for the great cause that my father wants to promote."

Director Wang sighed, shook his head and said nothing.

It is just as my son said, some people are more fiercely wary of the Wang family of Langya.

He knew Zhuge Daoming. He might have some ulterior motives, but he would not surrender voluntarily. This was not determined by anything else, but by his observation over the years, and he had understood Zhuge Daoming's character. He would leave a way out and collect wealth for his family, but he was also deeply indebted to the late emperor and was not a heartless person, so he would do his best to defend Wuchang unless the situation was really hopeless.

Such a person is actually quite good. Who doesn't have some little thoughts nowadays?

Shi Ru (Wang Bin) was stationed at the mouth of the river and commanded tens of thousands of naval and land troops in Jiangzhou. What was he doing? He was trading with the navy's ships.

But you're not right to say that he wants to surrender.

When the rebel general Zhang Shuo went south to attack Hefei, Shiru devoted all his efforts to deploying troops and generals. When the military supplies were insufficient, he even provided some of them himself.

He loves money and is thinking about his family business, but he has no intention of surrendering.

Being loyal to the court and being greedy for wealth are not contradictory.

Seeing his father remained silent, Wang Yue thought that he would not agree. He became anxious and said, "The court can demote Zhuge Daoming, but do not take away his power. If you rashly replace him with someone else, who knows what he is thinking? If he lets go of the river defense and lets the Liang army march south, then everything will be over. Zhuge Daoming will not do that after all."

In those days, for various reasons, the generals sent out to the garrison had to be given full power to avoid being constrained and causing disasters. Once full power was given, it was easy for them to rebel. Therefore, selecting people was very important, and the consequences of using the wrong people were unbearable. Wang Yue felt that in the absence of a suitable candidate, it was best not to move Zhuge Daoming, because he had no intention of rebelling.

Just hold on like this and don't lose the situation of Dongwu.

As for what to do in the future? To be honest, the Jin Dynasty had no initiative, and they could only wait, waiting for that ethereal hope. In fact, in Wang Yue's opinion, even if the North was really in chaos one day and attacked each other, the Jin Dynasty would not necessarily be able to recover Henan, with Luoyang as its symbol, to resolve the crisis, or even if it recovered it, it would not be able to hold on for a long time.

This court is just like this.

The father and son quickly returned home on a ox cart.

Outside the palace, there were still many guests, as if it was a prosperous time. However, no one knew what was going on in these people's minds.

******
The loss of the three counties of Badong and the result of the Liang-Cheng battle were like a stone thrown into a lake, which splashed a circle of ripples and then quickly disappeared into thin air.

This is Jianye, this is the Jin Dynasty. It is already doubtful whether this court can do anything other than defend itself.

In the whole Jianye, perhaps only a dozen people like Wang Dao were still trying to make up for the loss.

In late February, all the news was quickly delivered to Luoyang. Shao Xun read it and did not say much.

The reaction of the Jin people was within his expectations.

The Eastern Jin Dynasty is now a dysfunctional government with confused brains, slow reactions, and muscular atrophy. It will be difficult to save it unless a powerful man appears and gives him a great opportunity to come to the fore. Then again, if such a powerful man really appears to wipe out all the long-standing problems, the first thing he will deal with will probably be the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

"What did you say to your niece that caused her to react so violently? Did you irritate her?" Shao Xun asked in Hualin Garden.

Yang Xianrong squinted her eyes, leaned in Shao Xun's arms, basking in the sun comfortably, and said casually: "I can't remember clearly. In addition to the letter, I also gave Shan Yinan a fox fur coat, which she can use when she comes to the north."

Shao Xun was stunned. Isn't this a slap in the face? Is this too much?

"Shan Yinan is your niece." Shao Xun shook Yang Xianrong and said.

"So what?" Yang Xianrong said disapprovingly, "I still remember asking her in the letter, can those 'clay puppets' in the ancestral temple protect you?"

Shao Xun was speechless. After a moment, he said, "Were you the Queen of Dajin? Back then, I..."

Yang Xianrong rolled her eyes at him and said disdainfully, "Don't you always say that the noble families only care about their own interests? Isn't it normal for me to consider my own family? I am now a wife of the Shao family."

"I owe you this life." Shao Xun whispered, "I will marry you in the next life and you will be my wife."

"Go to Zhaoyang Palace at noon and tell it in front of Yu Wenjun." Yang Xianrong sneered.

Shao Xun smiled awkwardly and began to change the subject, saying, "Yang Pengzu has led 3,000 soldiers from Yinmi Town to the south of Wudu..."

"Why did you go from Jin to Cheng?" Yang Xianrong touched Shao Xun's face and chuckled, "It seems that my niece can still enjoy herself for a few more years. But it's hard to say. If you let me send people to Hefei New City for trade, maybe I can win someone over. The Shi family or the Chen family?"

"In Jianye, the Shi family is the Chen family." Shao Xun said, "Tangyi prefect Chen Yan has come to me, can I still push him away?"

Yang Xianrong felt a little amused and confused after hearing this.

He fought a battle with Li Cheng in Badong and defeated the Shu army. However, the State of Cheng did not suffer any damage, but the State of Jin began to stagger.

But they are lucky.

As mentioned just now, Yang Dan volunteered to go to Wudu, and brought with him the Yinmi garrison troops he had trained himself - mainly the Xiongnu, Di and Qiang.

It is obvious that they are going to take action against Li Cheng.

Attack Hanzhong all the way, attack Baxi all the way, advance in parallel from north to south, and destroy Chengguo. It's only now that the preparations for war have not been completed, otherwise it could have been launched.

"Your Majesty..." The voice of the eunuch Hou San was heard in the distance.

"What's the matter?" Shao Xun let go of Yang Xianrong and asked.

"The King of Qi requests an audience."

Shao Xun thought about it and probably knew why Jin Dao came here. He immediately became interested and said, "Let him come here directly."

Yang Xianrong stood up and left, glancing at Shao Xun.

Shao Xun nodded, then walked back and forth in the garden with his hands behind his back.

This matter is much more important than fighting a war.

(End of this chapter)