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

"It is related to Liu Yao, but mainly about Sima Bao."Guo Pu said. When the civil and military ministers heard that it was related to the royal family of Sima Bao, they all became energetic. Prince Sima Shao said:"Master Guo, just now my father and other lords were talking about King Nanyang, what do you have the latest with me? Let’s talk about the news about the little emperor’s uncle quickly!"

"All right. Sima Mo died in the battle when Emperor Huai was captured. Chen An, the captain under his command, defected to Sima Bao. Sima Bao inherited the title of King of Nanyang and once controlled the entire Qinzhou. Sima Bao's general Zhang Chun and others were jealous of Chen An and wanted to kill Chen An, but Sima Bao refused. After Chen An was stabbed, he fled back to Longcheng and kept sending people to pay tribute to Sima Bao. A few years later, Emperor Min was captured and later poisoned by Liu Cong. After His Majesty succeeded to the throne, Sima Bao claimed to be the King of Jin, and Chen An claimed to be the governor of Qinzhou, and later surrendered to Liu Yao. At that time, there was a serious famine in Shanggui, and Chen An began to invade Sima Bao. Zhang Shi of Liangzhou sent Han Pu and Song Yi to rescue Sima Bao.

A maid poured tea, Guo Pu took a sip of water and continued:"Zhang Shi has always respected the previous dynasty and helped Sima Bao a lot." A few months ago, Emperor Liu Yao of Han and Zhao personally led an army to attack Chencang. Several of Sima Bao's troops fled to death, and several cities in Qinzhou were captured. Zhang Chun planned to protect Sima Bao as he headed to Liangzhou, but Zhang Shi sent troops to stop him halfway. Several generals had nowhere to go and internal strife broke out. Zhang Chun and others placed Sima Bao under house arrest and was later killed. Chen An used the emperor's etiquette to bury Sima Bao'an in Shanggui and gave him the posthumous title of King Yuan."

"What a pity! No matter what, Sima Bao is also my imperial brother. Will anyone succeed to the throne of King Jin in the future? Where did Sima Bao's men go?"Sima Rui said. Guo Pu continued:"Sima Bao has no son, so Zhang Chun made Sima Zhan, the royal family son, the prince, and he called himself a general. More than 10,000 people fled to Liangzhou in order to survive. Chen An petitioned Liu Yao to attack Sima Zhan and Zhang Chun. Chen An led his army to attack and captured Sima Zhan. Zhang Chun fled to Wuhan. Sima Zhan surrendered to Chen An. Liu Yao killed Sima Zhan."

"Another two members of the Sima royal family died unexpectedly! How could it be like this if I had pledged my allegiance to His Majesty earlier!"Sima Yi said. Sima Zong didn't speak, just shook his head. After a while of silence, Ji Zhan asked:"They say Sima Bao is tall and fat, weighing eight hundred kilograms. I like to read and write articles, and I also like to sleep. Is there such a thing?

Guo Pu smiled and said:"Sima Bao claims that he weighs eight hundred kilograms, but in fact he is not that heavy, but only three to four hundred kilograms, which is still a lot. Two strong men put together can't weigh as much as Sima Bao.""

"Chen An was originally loyal to Sima Bao, but why did he attack him later? Diao Xie asked. Guo Pu said:"About two years ago, Chen An prepared to attack Chang'an, but due to lack of strength, he asked Sima Bao for help. Sima Bao did not agree, so Chen An attacked Sima Bao in Shanggui."

"It’s so unpredictable! If Sima Bao and Chen An could join forces, they might be able to capture Chang'an. If Chang'an is captured, Liu Yao will not proclaim himself emperor in Chang'an. Liu Wei said. Dai Yuan said:"But there are no ifs in this world, only results!""

"Sima Bao was not only obese, but most importantly, he was usually confused, cowardly and lacked decision-making when faced with problems. This was an important reason why he was unable to protect himself and his body was missing. After Sima Bao was finished, many of his troops returned to Zhang Shi, strengthening Liangzhou's power. Liu Yao obtained most of the land in Qinzhou, which increased his territory and strengthened his strength. In the next few years, the battle between Liu Yao and Shi Le will take place. The Jie people and the Huns attack each other and consume each other, which is a good thing for our country."Director Wang said. The prince's young master Xue Jian said:"What Mr. Wang said is true. At present, we can neither destroy Shi Le nor Liu Yao. Due to the civil strife in the Central Plains and the North, the power of the Xiongnu, Jie, Qiang, Di, and Xianbei tribes and tribes all increased. These tribes not only coveted the Central Plains and the north, but also coveted the wealthy south of the Yangtze River. After all these years, the relationship between the Han people and the Hu people has changed. Intricate and intertwined, one move affects the whole body. Therefore, we cannot be too hasty in regaining our homeland."

Shang Shuzuo Pu shot Xun Song and said:"Sima Bao, as a member of the royal family, did not come to Jiankang to support His Majesty and to be consistent with the outside world. Instead, he started anew and became king on his own. If His Majesty had not succeeded to the throne more than two years ago, Sima Bao would have proclaimed himself emperor. Such a royal family is inferior to Shao Xu and Cao Yi. Not to mention compared with Zu Ti and Liu Kun, even Duan Pixi of Xianbei Duan tribe is not as good as"

"Before His Majesty proclaimed himself emperor, not only Liu Kun but also 180 people persuaded him to enter. At the beginning, Zhang Shi of Liangzhou also sent envoys to Jiankang to persuade him to advance. But because of the long distance, Zhang Shi's envoy came to Jiankang, and His Majesty had been proclaimed emperor for several months. Sima Bao planned to get Zhang Shi to support him and proclaim himself emperor, but Zhang Shi rebuked his country's estranged subordinates, forgot his great shame, and was eager to proclaim himself emperor, so it would be difficult for him to succeed. Later, Zhang Shi adopted the Jianxing reign name of Emperor Min instead of the Taixing reign name of our dynasty." Director Wang said. Director Wang's cousin and the leader of the army, Wang Sui, asked:"Before Chang'an was besieged by the Huns, Sima Bao held an important position in the previous dynasty and had a heavy army. At that time, he was closest to Chang'an and belonged to the royal family. Why didn't he relieve the siege of Chang'an and lead to the fall of Chang'an? Emperor Min was captured and later poisoned. Sima Bao's death may not be a good thing for our country."

Wang Sui wanted to continue talking, but when Director Wang glared at him, he stopped talking. Wang Bin, Wang Bin's father-in-law and cousin of Director Wang, said:"Don't look at Sima Bao's young age, he may be very young. He had long wanted to be emperor, so he refused to save Emperor Min until he died. As for the impact on our country, I think it is minimal. The first person who benefited was Liu Yao, and the second person was Zhang Shi."

In the Purple Light Hall of Chang'an, Liu Yao was discussing military affairs with the ministers. Liu Yao said:"I have only succeeded to the throne of the Han and Zhao Kingdom for more than a year, and the country is in dire need. Although Sima Bao and Sima Zhan are dead, our territory has become much larger. However, some tribes such as Di and Qiang who had originally submitted to the Jin Dynasty began to contact the remnants of the Jin Dynasty, posing a relatively large threat to our dynasty."

"Your Majesty, if you don’t have long-term worries, you will have immediate worries. My immediate concern is the decisive battle with Shi Le sooner or later. But this cannot be rushed, we should accumulate strength and adapt to changes. Our immediate concern is the forces that collude with the Di and Qiang people to oppose us. Taiwei Fan Long said. Sikong Huyanyan said:"In the past few years, the Di people, Qiang people, Jie people, and Ba people have repeatedly caused chaos, just like pressing down on a gourd and raising a gourd." Yin Che, the captain of the Changshui School, led the Ba Di chief Xu Kupeng to rebel. Some tribes in other places also responded from a distance and asked your Majesty to make a decision.

Situ Zhuji said:"Your Majesty, please take charge of the expedition and eradicate these rebel forces!""