Chapter 1151 Summary

Chapter 1151 Summary

Chapter 1151 Summary
On the fifth day of February in the sixth year of Kaiping (332), Shao Xun was leading his officials to demonstrate farming by the Jiuqu River east of Luoyang City.

Within one day, couriers arrived three times to report on various events that had occurred in Shu.

Tong Qianjin, the commander of the imperial guards, distributed cloth rewards to each batch of messengers, three rolls of silk and two rolls of white linen to each person, which was quite generous.

Shao Xun first listened to the brief report from Yin Yuan, the Yellow Gate Minister, and did not express any opinion.

The group of advisers around him is getting larger and larger, generally including Palace Attendant, Attendant of the Imperial Court, Minister of the Court, Secretary General, and Imperial Court Assistant Minister.

The position of Sanqi Changshi itself has no specific duties, and the number of duties will be gradually reduced in the future, and eventually become an additional title. After all, this position is suspected of overlapping with Zhong Changshi - in theory, both scholars and eunuchs can serve as Sanqi Changshi and Zhong Changshi.

As of now, after Zu Ying's death, there were three Palace Attendants: Duan Mobo, Xin Mi, and former General of the Western Army Beigong Chun. Later, Beigong Chun was sent to govern Xuzhou, leaving only two of them.

The Shizhong were mainly responsible for guiding ceremonies, reading memorials, and participating in government affairs. Sometimes Shao Xun would even ask them to draft imperial edicts on his behalf, but this was not formal and should be avoided in the future.

Furthermore, the Shizhong were the chief officials of the Menxia Province. They could "reject" the policies and laws of the cabinet and "seal back" the emperor's edicts, which means they had the power of "seal and reject", or "examination" in modern terms. They were busy with work and might not be able to stay by the emperor's side all the time, so it was good enough that they could find time to come.

Therefore, Shao Xun has recently begun to rely more on the Yellow Gate Minister and asked the Shizhong to come to the palace less often. In the future, there will be only two Shizhong, each in charge of a piece of affairs.

The Yellow Gate Shilang was assigned to the Menxia Province and was an assistant to the Shizhong. He was stationed in the palace, delivering government orders and imperial edicts back and forth, and served as the emperor's attendant.

Originally there was only one person holding this position, Xu Shi from Gaoyang, who had been appointed Governor of Yanzhou two years ago. Later, Mi Zhi, Yin Yuan and Pei Xian successively filled the position.

The Jieshi Zhong "accompanied the prime minister, reported gains and losses, and made suggestions and corrected malpractices". At the same time, together with the Huangmen Shilang, they pre-examined the memorials sent by the prime minister through the cabinet, and had the power to supervise and reject them - of course, the latter was just talk. As advisers to the emperor, they could mostly only give suggestions.

As for the Secretary General, he is a penman who is responsible for drafting imperial edicts. In the future, Shao Xun will try his best to correct his bad habits and no longer randomly grab a close minister to write imperial edicts. He was used to being casual when the country was founded and the war was fought, so he must be formal in the future.

Today's news about the war in Shu was presented to us by Yin Yuan.

Shao Xun didn't wash his hands until he finished a day's farm work. He said, "After the defeat at Yiling, Shu Han relied on the two governors of Yong'an and Jiangzhou to resist the Eastern Wu. Yong'an (Badong) has long been in my hands, but Jiangzhou has not been taken yet."

As Shao Xun spoke, he walked north along the ridge of the field and sat down on a private drying yard.

"Li Xiongguo has assembled a large force in Jiangzhou and is holding the strategic location." He continued, "We still have a chance of winning this battle. The navy is suppressing the soldiers of Daliang and making it impossible for them to transport food by water. If the situation continues, our army may be forced to retreat."

"Your Majesty, this is just a last-ditch effort." Yin Yuan took a stool, sat down, and said with a smile: "In the past, when Liu Xiu and Liu Bei entered Shu, there were always people who returned to the right path. Now that the Daliang army has entered Shu, the Gong family has also joined. If the situation in Jiangzhou lasts for a long time, there will definitely be more and more people who return to the right path, and it will eventually be impossible to deal with them."

Speaking of "reformation", Shao Xun looked at Huan Yi, the attendant official, and said, "Mr. Huan is in good health. He planted millet all day without even breathing hard."

Huan Yi laughed and said, "It's not as good as your Majesty's use of a strong bow and riding a fierce horse."

"It's hard to say when I'm your age." Shao Xun waved his hand and said, "Yuanzi made a surprise attack and laid the foundation for the overall situation. You have taught your son well."

"Your Majesty, you are too kind." Huan Yi smiled bitterly, "In the past, my father and I were in Jiangnan and did not achieve anything. It was only after we returned to Daliang and joined the holy king that we had the opportunity to make achievements. Your Majesty's kindness will be hard to repay for the generations to come."

Shao Xun heard this and smiled without saying anything.

Yin Yuan waited for a while and said, "Your Majesty, Captain Huan is indeed a man that can be cultivated. Guanzhong is in constant turmoil, and he may be transferred to Guanlong in the future to maintain peace."

Huan Yi's heart moved.

Yin Yuan's words were not aimless, they must have deep meaning, and he had to think about them carefully.

If we understand it literally, Guanzhong has indeed been in unrest recently.

A branch of the Lushui Hu tribe may have been injured in Xiataocheng and fled back from the front line without permission. Jin Zheng was furious and ordered Peng Tianhu to hand over the escaped people, but Peng Tianhu may have been forced by internal forces and actually pleaded for these people.

Things have come to this point and are not complicated at all. There are only two options: conquer or appease.

However, Shao Jin, the King of Qin who was transporting grain and grass in Yong County, submitted a petition requesting permission to lead the army to fight.

The emperor agreed, but was worried that the King of Qin could not handle such a situation, so he sent the first and second battalions of the Yellow Head Army to march west, led by the Privy Councilor Chen Yougen, under the pretext of supporting Hanzhong, and to meet up in Yong County.

As a result, the King of Qin had 25,000 to 26,000 infantry and cavalry under his command, most of whom were good at fighting.

Then he secretly contacted Yao Yi Zhong, Dou Yu Zhen and others to intimidate the Lu Shui Hu and settle the matter as quickly as possible.

The troops have now gathered in Yong County and the battle is about to begin.

This place has never been peaceful since the founding of the country. If Yuanzi can have the opportunity to garrison a place and suppress the various Hu people, it will indeed be an important part of his resume and will be extremely beneficial to his future development.

Just when these words came out of Yin Yuan's mouth, it meant a lot of things.

"Yuan Zi is indeed talented." Shao Xun nodded slightly after hearing Yin Yuan's words and said, "However, he is good at military warfare, and I have not seen his ability to pacify the people. It is too hasty for a 21-year-old boy to serve as a garrison commander or governor. But he has a sharp spirit in his heart and can lead troops. He has also been the lieutenant of Xiangyang for some time. He may go to Daibei in the future. There is also unrest there."

When Huan Yi and Yin Yuan heard this, they both said yes.

Just last month, all the tribes of Dongmugen Mountain in Dai State wrote to Pingcheng together, requesting a marriage for the Duke of Dai.

Lady Wang refused on the grounds that Duke Dai was only thirteen years old.

However, in this matter, she couldn't just say that she would not let Dai Gong marry a wife, so she just used the tactic of procrastination.

The various tribes had anticipated this, and starting this month, many leaders began looking for suitable candidates for the position of Khatun.

This is not about loyalty or anything else. No matter how powerful the wife is, she cannot challenge the values ​​of all Xianbei people.

The Great Shan was Tuoba Shiyijian. When he reached a certain age, he would get married and then rule the country. This had been the tradition for thousands of years.

Mrs. Wang has her die-hard fans, but she also has many neutral people. The reason they don't oppose Mrs. Wang and don't rebel right now is that the Wang family is still playing within the ancient power framework.

Strictly speaking, every order she gave was issued on behalf of Tuoba Shiyijian. When everyone obeyed Mrs. Wang's orders, they were actually obeying the orders of Duke Dai.

This is also what Wang has always been worried about.

She could either kill Shi Yijian or overturn the table;

Either he could pretend to return power and then operate secretly behind the scenes, but this is a very unstable and dangerous thing to do and it cannot be delayed for long.

The situation in Daibei was turbulent. Although no one openly rebelled, people's hearts were in chaos.

In addition, it actually created momentum for Shi Yijian to take power, warmed up the situation, and reduced possible resistance after he took power.

After conquering Cheng State, it was time to take this matter seriously. This was the consensus of the government and the public, because they could no longer fool around.

While the king and his ministers were talking, a woman from the backyard came over with lunch. She blushed and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito: "Your Majesty, this was made by me."

Shao Xun glanced at her, smiled and nodded.

Tong Qianjin also nodded to him.

Shao Xun signaled the woman to put the meal on the table brought by his personal soldiers, and then ordered five strings of money and ten pieces of silk.

The woman was stunned.

Shao Xun smiled and said, "I'll buy you this meal."

"It's just a few bowls of rice and vegetables, there's no need for so much..." the woman stammered.

"Yes." Shao Xun insisted, "Your husband died in Liangzhou because of me. What is this reward?"

After saying that, he invited everyone to eat.

Seeing that Shao Xun had nothing to say, the woman felt a little disappointed and bowed and left.

During the meal, a messenger arrived, but was stopped outside by Tong Qianjin, who asked him questions in a low voice.

After a long time, seeing that Shao Xun and others had finished eating, he let the messenger come over.

Yin Yuan stood up and took it. After a quick glance, he reported, "Your Majesty, Gong Zhuang of Baxi has convinced the Zan family to return to the right path."

"Oh? Is that the Zan who was beaten badly by Yuanzi?" Shao Xun asked.

"That's right." Yin Yuan replied, "There are still some people from the Zan family working in Chengdu, but most of them are from the clan who moved to Guanzhong in the early years, so there is not much contact. The Zan family said that they have become two families and have been expelled from the clan. The Zan Yan who was beheaded by the king's army was from Dangqu, but it seems that his clan members are going to abandon this family."

"You're turning around really fast. You're a good candidate for big things." Shao Xun said with a smile, "The Zan family's surrender will be useful. The seven clans of Bandun cannot let the Gong family dominate alone."

He did not mention Luo, nor did Yin Yuan and Huan Yi, assuming that they were dead.

"Appoint Gong Zhuang as the governor of Baxi." Shao Xun ordered, "The Zan family should select someone to be the governor of Dangqu. Xu Yaozu of Badong is also a Qiang. He has made great contributions in battle. I heard that his ancestors were Zhi people. If he can persuade the tribes of Ba County to surrender, or even turn the tables, he can be transferred to be the governor of Fuling."

"Your Majesty, when you tried to pacify the great families in Shu before, most of them were hesitant. Now if you grant them official titles and make promises, it will surely be effective," Huan Yi suggested.

Shao Xun did not comment.

"Let's see how the battle in Jiangzhou goes first." After a moment, he said, "If Duan Liang knew the opportunity, he would have harassed Li Shou's food supply and shaken his military morale. If Jiangzhou is defeated, I'll see how Li Xiong will clean up the situation."

"Your Majesty, I think Li Xiong might attack Dangqu." Yin Yuan said, "Even if he doesn't lead the army in person, he will send a general to lead the army. We must be on guard."

"Yin Qing is indeed from Liangzhou, and is quite knowledgeable about military affairs." Shao Xun praised: "If Li Xiong can lead the army in person, I will look up to him. However, how many troops can be gathered in such a hurry? Forget it, it is inappropriate to continue. We are far away in Luoyang and have not seen the whole picture, but it is inappropriate for us to point fingers at the war in Shu."

After saying this, Shao Xun hesitated for a moment, called Tong Qianjin over, and asked, "How long has Yu Yuangui been in mourning?"

Tong Qianjin calculated silently and said, "It's been eight months. It won't end until the beginning of June."

"That's right." Shao Xun nodded.

After conquering Shuzhong, we will impose martial law for a period of time and then lift it. The timing is very appropriate.

"Announce the decree to the soldiers who are on the expedition. After conquering Shu, I will not take a penny. All the men will be generously rewarded." Shao Xun stood up and said, "Return to the palace. Tomorrow, go to Qianjin'e for spring ploughing and select a family of the imperial guards."

"As ordered." Everyone said in unison.

Tong Qianjin quickly found the secretary supervisor Lu Chen who was sorting papers and pens outside the courtyard.

A moment later, the imperial edict was completed and sent to Luoyang as quickly as possible, before Wang Yan could present it on his desk. Then two copies were made and sent urgently over 500 miles to Hanzhong and Yangguan.

(End of this chapter)