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

When Shao Bo saw it, he felt that the opportunity to make meritorious deeds had come, so he said to Shao Xu, Duan Pixi and Duan Wenyang:"The thousand-year-old King of Zhao has given my brother an official position. My brother should wear the brand-new court uniforms of Zhao. I believe that King Zhao Mr. Duan and his brothers will also be given official positions."

Shao Xu glared at him and ignored him. Shi Le said:"What Shao Bo said just now makes sense. Guzheng plans to grant official positions to the Duan brothers. Duan Pixi and Duan Wenyang are welcome!" Duan Pixi and Duan Wenyang had no choice but to stand up and then bow to Shi Le. Shi Le said:"I made Duan Pixi the champion general of the Zhao State, and made Duan Wenyang the Zuo Zhonglang General of the Zhao State."

"Thank you very much for the thousand-year-old grace of King Zhao!"Duan Pixi and Duan Wenyang said in unison. After a while, two guards carried two wooden trays. Inside the wooden tray were two sets of military uniforms, one for Duan Pixi and the other for Duan Wenyang.. The two guards handed their military uniforms to Duan Pixi and Duan Wenyang respectively. Shi Le said:"In recent years, Mr. Duan and his brother have conquered east and west, and fought south and north, although we were once rivals on the battlefield. But there is a saying that goes well, no deal can be made without a fight. The battlefield is all about life and death and rewards based on merit. Ji Long, Kong Chang, Zhi Xiong and others are the battle-tested generals of the Zhao Kingdom. Gu Zhen sincerely hopes that Master Duan and General Duan can put aside their past grudges and make their own contributions and glory to the Zhao Kingdom!"

"Thank you, King Zhao Qiansui, for your trust!" Duan Pixi said, and Duan Wenyang nodded.

A few days later, the news of the fall of Fuping reached Jiankang. Above the court, the civil and military ministers talked a lot. Sima Rui said:"In recent years, I have seen some lonely people in the north. Places fell into the hands of the Jie people one by one. Shao Xu and his son were imprisoned in Xiangguo, and the Duan Pixi brothers were not spared either. Although it seems that Shi Le treats them well now, in the long run, they will be in the court of Zhao State, wearing the court clothes of the previous dynasty, receiving the salary of Zhao State, and sleeping with Shi Le. After a long time, even if Shi Le could bear it, Shi Hu would not"

"Shi Zhao has only been established for more than a year. In order to expand his power and occupy more territory, Shi Le is sparing no effort to recruit talents. Once these talents are unwilling to be used by him, Shi Le will definitely kill them. And Shihu was prolific in killing people, whether they were officials or generals in the conquered areas, or ordinary people in the conquered areas. Anyone who makes him unhappy will be killed immediately. Shao Xu, Duan Pixi and others were upright and deeply rooted in their obsession with being loyal to the imperial court. So in the end, I guess these people will be in trouble." Director Wang said

"Liu Yao's expansion direction was to the west, to Badi, Qiuchi and other places. Shi Le's ambitions were even greater, and Bingzhou, Youzhou, Jizhou, Qingzhou, Yuzhou, etc. were all part of his plan. Once Shile advanced southward to the Huaihe River Basin, the Yellow River Basin and the south of the Yellow River followed. If Shi Le realizes such an idea, our dynasty will be in danger even in Jiangnan. Therefore, I hope that your Majesty will send his ministers abroad as soon as possible and resist the enemy in the Yellow River area. Diao Xie said. Sima Rui nodded and said,"I have been thinking about it for a long time. It is a good idea to send ministers outside." Only by strengthening the local status and military strength can we nip problems in the bud."

Fei Ren, who was standing by the steps, looked at Sima Rui, who nodded. Fei Ren unfolded the edict in his hand, looked at the civil and military ministers below, and began to read it out.

The emperor's edict said:

Shi Le, the Jie man, is entrenched in the Xiang Kingdom. Bingzhou, Youzhou, and Jizhou in the north were all captured by Shi Zhao. In the battle of Yanci, Fuping fell, the envoy Wang Ying fled back, and Liu Kun's nephew Liu Yan died in the battle. Shao Xu, his father and his son, and Duan Pixi, the patriotic and loyal men in the north, were alone. , Duan Wenyang, etc. were all captured by Shi Le. Cao Yi in Qingzhou was wavering, and now only General Zu Ti was left in the north to fight alone, unable to support his strength. Once Yuzhou is lost, the Jiehu army will inevitably invade the Huaihe River Basin southward. If so, Jiangnan will be in danger.. In order to protect the stability of the country and the country, from now on, all counties and counties in Yangzhou will be exempted from the status of slaves, and all will be restored to freedom and conscripted into the army. Dai Yuan will be appointed as the General of the Western Expedition, with the governorship of Yan, Yu, You, Ji, and Yong and the six prefectures were united in the military affairs and during the holidays, they added casual cavalry and regular servants. One thousand people submitted their names and asked for officials to be appointed as military officials. Ten thousand free boys and guests from counties and counties in Yangzhou were recruited and distributed as soldiers. To the residence of the General Zhengxi. Appointed Wang Xia, the regular servant of the Sanqi, as the commander of the Zhengxi Army, and accompanied Dai Yuan to guard Hefei. Appointed Liu Wei as the regular servant of the Sanqi, the general Zhenbei, and the governor of the military affairs of the four states of Qing, Xu, You, and Ping. , holiday, and went out to the town of Huaiyin.

Dai Yuan, Wang Xia, and Liu Wei knelt down on their way out:"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty!"

After reading out the edict, Fei Ren shouted again:"Retreat!""

The civil and military ministers left the court in twos and threes, some with smiles on their faces and some with expressionless faces. Shangshu Zuopu shot Xunsong, and Shangshu ordered Diao Xie to chat while walking. Dai Yuan, Wang Xia, and Liu Wei were together because they wanted to go out to the town. Er walked out of the Tai Chi Hall. Xun Song and Diao Xie in front walked slower, and soon they came together with Dai Yuan, Wang Xia, and Liu Wei. Diao Xie said with a smile:"The three adults are about to leave the town outside Beijing. How about I give the practice of thin wine to three positions?"

"It's rare for Master Diao to be generous today, so it's better to be respectful than to obey! Liu Wei said, and Dai Yuan and Wang Xia also nodded. After walking out of Taicheng, the five people came to the"Langya Winery".

The waiter who greeted the guests at the door of the winery said:"Five guests, please come inside!""

It was almost noon, and there were still a lot of customers in the restaurant. The waiter looked at the hesitation of the five people and said with a smile:"Please invite me upstairs, so you can have a look at the street view of Jiankang."

The five people came upstairs and saw that there were only two tables of guests, a total of six people. The five people sat down at a table facing the street. The waiter came over and asked,"What kind of food will your guests eat?""

"Today we will make an exception and serve six Jiangnan dishes!"Diao Xie said. The five people were chatting, but the food hadn't been served yet. The guests at the other two tables came downstairs one after another after finishing their meals. Liu Wei said:"We rarely come here a few times a year, and it seems to be more lively than before. few"

"It's much more lively than before. In the past, many people who came from the north were forced to sell themselves as slaves to wealthy families in the south. Now it's better. His Majesty ordered tens of thousands of children to regain their freedom. Many people in the north cheered.There are more businesses doing business on the streets, all walks of life are prosperous, more young people are joining the army, and people have smiles on their faces. Dai Yuan said. Wang Xia said:"People from the north are happy, but some people are not happy.""

"This world is also strange. Some people are happy and others are unhappy. Most people are happy, but a few people are unhappy. Are we making the majority happy, or are we making the few happy? Making His Majesty happy is the greatest happiness!"Diao Xie said jokingly. While several people were talking, two young maids brought two plates. The maid put down six dishes, five pairs of chopsticks, and five wine bottles. A maid said:"Sir, please be patient. use!"