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

There was silence in the court, and Sima Rui said to Fei Ren again:"Bring me some cloth and a writing brush!"

Fei Ren went out from the side door and brought a piece of yellow silk with gold edges, an inkstone and a writing brush, and placed them on the Long Bookcase superior. Sima Rui thought for a while, and then wrote on the yellow silk: General Zhenxi and governor of Yuzhou, Zu Ti, has helped me solve my problems for many years. He persevered in the Northern Expedition, recovered most of Henan, and faced off against Shile in Hebei. Ancestor Ai Qing was a courteous and virtuous corporal. He was considerate of the people's sentiments, marched forward with a heavy load, showed kindness and trust, and devoted himself to the Northern Expedition. I am very sad that my beloved passed away. He posthumously awarded Zu Ti the title of General of Chariots and Cavalry, and ordered Zu Ti's younger brother Zu Yue to take over his tribe and inherit his duties as General of the West and Governor of Yuzhou.

"Your majesty is wise!"The civil and military ministers shouted. Sima Rui wrote the edict and handed it to Fei Ren, and then said:"Fei Ren, tomorrow you will take two followers and go to Yongqiu to read the edict."

Fei Ren took the edict and nodded. Guo Pu left the office and said,"Your Majesty, there is one more thing. On the way back, I heard from the coachman that although Lord Zuti was ill these days, he still did not forget the great cause of the Northern Expedition. Just a few days ago, Master Zu was still repairing Hulao City despite his illness. Hulao City is located on the north bank of the Yellow River and adjacent to Chenggao to the west. Its strategic location is very important. Master Zu was worried that there was no solid barrier in the south of the city and would be easily broken by the Jie people, so he sent his nephew Zu Ji to lead soldiers to build the barrier. But before the barrier was repaired, Lord Ancestor died of illness in Yongqiu!"

After listening to Guo Pu's introduction, there was a sigh in the court, and many people shook their heads and sighed. Thinking about every detail of Zu Ti's Northern Expedition, Sima Rui couldn't help but shed tears. Seeing that the emperor also shed tears, there were almost no civil and military ministers in the court. Those who did not shed tears, some had already burst into tears. After a while, Sima Rui asked Diao Xie:"I have assigned Prince Qiao and his uncle to be in charge of Liangzhou, to take charge of all military affairs north of Mianshui, and to guard Xiangyang. Wang Dun sent his Zhonglang Guo Shu to Xiangyang to supervise the army. I plan to recruit Guo Shu as your prime minister. How is the matter going?"

"Guo Shu himself was happy to return to His Majesty, but General Wang would not let him go."Diao Xie said. At this moment, the guards outside Taiji Hall came in and reported:"Your Majesty, Duan Mobo, the leader of the Xianbei Duan in western Liaoning, sent an envoy to Jiankang to ask for an audience with your Majesty."

"Duan Mobo? messenger? Sima Rui thought to himself. Duan Mobo's envoy was outside, so Sima Rui couldn't help but think too much. Sima Rui said,"Please invite Duan Mobo's envoy to come into the palace!""

Three people came to Sima Rui and knelt down. One of them said:"Duan Ya, the envoy of the Xianbei Duan tribe, came to pay tribute on the order of our lord Duan Mobo and thanked your majesty for the appointment."

"The envoy has come all the way from western Liaoning. After a long journey, he is looking forward to seeing you!"Following Sima Rui's words, three guards moved over to three seats. The envoy and his two followers sat down.

"May I ask, envoy, what is your relationship with Leader Duan? Sima Rui asked. Duan Ya said:"Your Majesty, the leader of my tribe, Duan Mobo, is my brother." Some time ago, my brother was appointed as the governor of Youzhou by Your Majesty. He sent me as an envoy, hoping to communicate with the imperial court."

"The Xianbei Duan tribe has been receiving grants from the Central Plains dynasty for decades. In the past few years, the Duan tribe has been fighting among themselves, and members of the same clan have killed each other, giving Shi Le, a Jie man, an opportunity to take advantage of. Now brothers Duan Pixi and Duan Wenyang are imprisoned in Xiangguo by Shi Le. Together with Shao Xu, the governor of Jizhou in our dynasty, Lord Shao Xu's son and nephew were all detained in Xiangguo. What do you think of this? Sima Rui asked. Duan Ya said:"In recent years, the Jie people in the north have been rampant, causing roads to be blocked." Even if Duan wanted to send envoys to pay tribute, sometimes they could not do so because of road interruptions."

After speaking, Sima Rui glanced at Director Wang. Director Wang said:"The Governor Liu Kun was killed by Duan Pixi. What did you do here? Did your leader deliberately let Liu Kun's son Liu Qun write a letter, and then let Duan Pizhen's people capture him?"

"No, no, that's not the case. Sir, just imagine, my brother and Duan Pizhen were already fighting fiercely to compete for the position of leader of the Duan tribe. How could they collude with each other and conspire to harm Governor Liu Kun?" Duan Ya defended. Zhou Wei asked:"Come here, I heard that your brother has already recognized Shi Le as his adoptive father, and respects and is loyal to Shi Le wholeheartedly. So, why don't you use this relationship to rescue the Duan Pixi brothers?"

"This, I'm afraid this won't be easy to handle. In the face of power and status, any kind of family affection pales in comparison. Besides, my brother and I are just cousins ​​with Brother Duan Pixi, so we are already quite estranged. Youzhou, Jizhou, and Jizhou, including Yanci and Fuping City, have all been taken by King Zhao as his own. Brother Duan Pixi has no place to stand. If they can serve King Zhao wholeheartedly, the ending will not be bad. Duan Ya said. Ji Zhan whispered to the people around him:"It sounds reasonable.""

"Your Majesty, there is one more thing that needs to be made clear. Duan Ya said, taking a box from an attendant. Duan Ya opened the box and took out a piece of light yellow cloth. Fei Ren, who was standing by the steps, came down, took the cloth and handed it to Sima Rui..

Sima Rui opened the cloth, and it turned out to be a long list:

The purpose of a minister's hearing about the country lies in worshiping the Ming Dynasty and the punishment; Straight, in order to put an end to his treachery and evil. I secretly saw the old Sikong and Guangwu Houkun. When Emperor Hui was harassing him, he faced the turmoil behind the group. He worked hard for the royal family, was righteous and sincere, and united the Chinese and Yi people. He personally accepted the target. Shi Chao When he was awarded the title of head, Lu Lang was bound in front of him, She Ji defeated Ning, Luan Yu came back to drive, and he was honored with the honor. Kun was indeed Long, and this was a test of Kun's allegiance. Later, the governor of Bingzhou, Dongying Gongteng, moved to Jinchuan Huanggui, and moved the town to Linzhang , Taiyuan and Xihe all moved to the Three Wei Dynasties. Kun was appointed to merge the prefectures, and his subordinates inherited the disadvantages. When he became an official, there were not many surviving households. When the situation was vulnerable to danger, he was in a difficult land. Over the years, public and private affairs have gradually become more and more prosperous...

Pixi has harmed Kun and slandered him, saying that Kun wanted to see the magic weapon and had evil intentions. Kun could not express his stubborn thoughts, but also had no faith and fear of execution, and he died in chaos. At this time, we are shoulder-to-shoulder among different people, but we have such a heart. Zang Huo's foolishness, but the wisdom of his brothers, are still not the same. Among the national scholars, he is the first to write loyalty and integrity. The harm caused by Pixi is called"Kun". Your Majesty issued a secret edict. It is clear that Kun Xin is guilty and your Majesty has punished him. He should be punished by all the cities and dynasties and be abandoned by the public. He should not be allowed to kill the ministers of Taifu in a special way. However, if he is guilty of issuing an edict without permission, he will be punished no matter how small. Correction has merit, no matter how great it is, because the root of the rise and fall lies here, and the reason for opening the fortress cannot be closed. However, Pixi has no scruples, and is dedicated to killing. He falsely orders the king, tortures the ministers, and humiliates everyone. Xia Zhiwang's method of defeating the royal family is tolerable, but what is intolerable?……

……

Liu Kun's loyalty and selflessness are a lesson to the world. I sincerely request your Majesty to look forward to your success.

Ministers Lu Chen, Cui Yue and others paid homage to Taixing in the winter of the third year.

Sima Rui patiently read the above table, put it down and said:"In the former dynasty, Sikong Liu Kun was engaged in the affairs of the middle minister Lu Chen, Cui Yue and others, and served Liu Kun. I made an impassioned speech in the hope of vindication."