The Sixteen Kingdoms of the Eastern Jin Dynasty: The Competition in the Central Plains

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"Sima Cheng said. After Sima Cheng finished speaking, he said goodbye and went home. Dai Yuan looked at Sima Cheng's leaving figure and said:"King Qiao is really loyal to your majesty, but he doesn't know about the other two royal families, Sima Yi and Sima Zong. Brothers, what will happen in the future?"

"well! These two members of the royal family are also my royal uncles!"Sima Rui said.

The next day, Sima Cheng took Wu Yan with him, took some necessary things for food, clothing, housing and transportation, and took a donkey cart to the small dock in the southwest corner of Jiankang. After getting off the donkey cart, Sima Cheng drove the cart The two servants who sent him off said:"You two should go back and do things well at home."

The two servants saluted Sima Cheng and then returned to Sima Cheng's residence in Jiankang.

A large boat sent off by the court had arrived at the dock from Houhu in the north of Jiankang and was waiting. There were ten soldiers on the boat responsible for rowing. Zhou Zha Responsible for command. Seeing Sima Cheng and others walking towards the dock, Zhou Zha and ten soldiers came to the shore. Zhou Zha said:"Your Highness King Qiao, our brothers were sent by the Situ Mansion to go to Xiangzhou to see you off. Please come up Boat!"

"Thank you for your hard work!"Sima Cheng said, and got on the boat with Wu Yan and two followers.

After two days of rowing against the current, Sima Cheng's boat arrived in Wuchang waters. Sima Cheng and Wu Yan stood on the deck, looking at the surging eastward river, sighing with emotion. Said:"The river can flow endlessly, without beginning or end. However, the people living on this land have fled and been displaced in the war-torn Middle East. Living is indeed too tiring!"

Wu Yan said:"Although people are tired of living, they have been running for survival for months and months. But for most people, as long as they can live, they have a leader and hope. Common people have common people's worries, and monarchs also have monarch's worries. It's really a bit frustrating for our Emperor to give orders all day long in the shadow of the Langya Wang family. Sima

Cheng nodded, and then said:"Now that we have entered Wang Dun's territory, should we say hello to him?" Or go to Wuchang to visit him?"

"this? If he doesn't visit Wang Dun, he will definitely blame the adults afterwards. Maybe he will take advantage of various opportunities to embarrass the adults, or even make them feel uncomfortable."Wu Yan said. While the two were talking, five large boats appeared in front of them, with many soldiers standing on them. The five large boats were lined up sideways on the river, blocking the way of Sima Cheng's ship. They were getting closer. , I saw a man on the big boat in the middle saying:"Is the person coming here King Qiao? I, Qian Feng, have been entrusted by the general to welcome the prince here for a long time!"

"I am Sima Cheng. Are you joining the army under the general?"Although Sima Cheng had heard of Qian Feng, he had never seen him, so he asked. Qian Feng smiled and said:"Prince Qiao must have been very hard on the way from Jiankang to Xiangzhou to take up his post. The general admires the prince very much and has already held a banquet at the government office to prepare for the prince's appointment. I wonder if the prince is sincere in his honor?"

"I was planning to go to the Wuchang government office, pay a visit to the general, listen to his teachings, and then go to Xiangzhou to take up my post. Sima Cheng said with a smile. Qian Feng bowed his hands and saluted:"Then please, Your Majesty, follow me to the general's mansion!""

Qian Feng's five big boats turned around, and Sima Cheng's boat followed the third big boat and sailed towards the south bank of the Yangtze River. When the six boats were about to reach the dock, they saw a lot of people gathered on the shore. When they got closer, Sima Cheng saw that it was Wang Dun, surrounded by many generals and soldiers. After the six boats docked, Qian Feng got off the third boat, and Sima Cheng and Wu Yan got off their own boat.. Wang Dun and the generals came forward to greet him, and Sima Cheng also hurriedly took a few steps. Wang Dun smiled and said:"Wang is here to wait for His Highness!"

"Great job, General!"Sima Cheng bowed his hands and saluted. Wang Dun returned the salute, then took Sima Cheng's hand and walked together to the Jingzhou governor's office.

When they arrived at the government office, Wang Dun said politely:"Your Highness, Prince Qiao, please take a seat! King Qiao came all the way and it was very hard work. Come on, let’s serve wine and food! Take care of His Highness King Qiao!"

Qian Feng, who joined the army, said:"General, don't worry, I will make arrangements right away."

"Thank you General for your kindness!"Sima Cheng said, and asked Wu Yan to sit down too. Wang Dun sat down on his seat above, and then asked the generals, soldiers and others below to sit down. Sima Cheng looked and saw that Zhou Fu was sitting below. Zhou Fu. Fu Ye looked at Sima Cheng, stood up and saluted. It didn't take long, and the maids shuttled back and forth, starting to bring sumptuous dishes and wine. Qian Feng was making arrangements below, and dozens of generals and soldiers were chatting and laughing.

"Come, Your Highness King Qiao, generals, join the army. I am very honored to have King Qiao come to Wuchang today. Let’s have a drink first!"Wang Dun said as he picked up the wine bottle. Sima Cheng, Wu Yan, and everyone else present also picked up the wine bottle. Everyone drank it without hesitation.

Putting down the wine bottle, Sima Cheng looked at the dozens of generals and soldiers present. and others said to Wang Dun:"The general manages the army well, has many talents, and has a cloud of good generals. He can ensure that Jingzhou is safe. Zhou Fu, the beloved son of Zhou Fang, the famous general of our dynasty, was also appointed as the prefect of Wuchang by His Majesty. If you can seize the opportunity to make the Northern Expedition in the future, you will definitely be able to leave your name in history!"

"This made King Qiao laugh. These generals and soldiers are not all I have. Jingzhou is an important town of our country and the western barrier of our country. Many counties need to be garrisoned and garrisoned. Those who could come to Wuchang to have a banquet with King Qiao were the generals from Wuchang and neighboring counties."Wang Dun said proudly. Sima Cheng nodded and said:"The generals and troops under the general are far superior to Yangzhou where Jiankang is located. Sir Mao Hong is in charge of Yangzhou and is His Majesty's most valued minister. General Chu Zhong is stationed in Jingzhou, and you two brothers are one in the east and one in the west, one in culture and the other in military affairs. To be honest, the combined civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty may not be as important as you two brothers.

Wang Dun heard what Sima Cheng said and said,"With high power, there are many right and wrongs."

Sima took up the topic and said,"In life, nine out of ten things are not what you want." Only in his position can he achieve his goals. If you go beyond your scope of authority, there will naturally be more disputes."

After hearing what Sima Cheng said, Wang Dun felt a little embarrassed. So he picked up the wine bottle and said,"As the host, I offer a glass of wine to His Highness. I wish His Highness good luck in governing Xiangzhou!"

After Wang Dun finished speaking, he drank all the wine in one gulp. Sima Cheng said:"Thank you, General, for your hospitality!"

Sima Cheng also drank it all in one gulp. Qian Feng said to Wu Yan:"I respect Wu and have a drink!

Wu Yan quickly picked up his wine bottle and said,"Thank you for the money to join the army!""

The dozens of generals and soldiers below were toasting and drinking with each other, and it was very lively. Some were chatting, and some were listening to Wang Dun and Sima Cheng.

"May I ask how much your Majesty, Prince Qiao, is? Wang Dun put down his chopsticks and asked.