When the emperor issued an edict to attack Huan Xuan, Sima Yuanxian was actually very worried. After returning to his mansion, he gathered his close associates to discuss how to send troops.
Zhang Fashun suggested: "The children of the Huan family are spread all over the capital. Once a war breaks out, they may become Huan Xuan's eyes and ears. Please ask the minister to order the execution of all the Huan."
Wang Dan, who was sitting across from him, immediately jumped up and said, "No, the Huan family has many marriages with the royal family and noble families. If we kill all the Huan, I'm afraid it will lead to chaos without fighting."
After Huan Wen's death, his younger brothers Huan Huo and Huan Chong were loyal to the imperial family. Their descendants established a network of connections in Jiankang, and Huan's children occupied important official positions in the court.
Zhonghujun Huanxiu (or Huanxiu), the third son of Huan Chong, married Princess Wuchang, the daughter of Emperor Jianwen of Jin Dynasty, and was Wang Dan's nephew according to seniority (1).
His second brother Huan Qian was the Sima of the Huqi Prefecture, while Sima Yuanxian was the Huqi General; Huan Mi’s son Huan Wei was a guerrilla general and was in charge of one of the Sixth Army of Jiankang; Huan Huo’s son Huan Shisheng was the chief tutor; Huan Chong Sun Huanyin was the secretary-supervisor; as for the side branches, there were countless Huan surnames, not to mention his disciples and former officials, all over the government and the public.
Wang Dan bowed to Sima Yuanxian and said, "Shang Shuling, Huan Xiu, Huan Qian and others are loyal to the court and have not collaborated with Huan Xuan. Please be aware of this."
After Wang Xun's death, Sima Yuanxian recruited his son Wang Hong to serve as an official several times, but Wang Hong refused to resign because of his filial piety.
Wang Dan and Wang Hong were both great-grandsons of Wang Dao. Their father was Danyang Yin Wangkun. Because Wang Dan was favored by Sima Yuanxian, the minister, the Langya royal family gradually regarded him as their spokesperson.
At the time of internal and external troubles, Sima Yuanxian certainly hoped to get the support of Wang Xie and other noble clans. He also knew that it was almost impossible to kill Zhu Huan, so he said: "Mao Shi (Wang Dan), don't worry, I know that Huan Xiu and others are loyal and will not Doing this is wrong."
The two advisers had different opinions and the discussion broke up. Zhuhuan soon got the news.
Grand Tutor Chief Shi Huan Shisheng sent his trusted aide to Jiangling to deliver a secret message to Huan Xuan, informing the court of the planned attack.
On the eighth day of the first lunar month, Runan prefect Yin Dun and Sima Yinji came to Yangjiazhuang to pay homage to Yang Guang and Yang Quanqi, and met with Yang Anxuan.
Yang Anxuan took out the secret order given to him by the Ministry of War and asked Runan County to organize its troops and horses and be ready for dispatch at any time.
Yin Ji rushed back to Xinye to celebrate the New Year. On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, he returned to Xinxi and told his grandfather Yin Xi's words to his elder brother, "Befriend An Xuan and wait for the opportunity."
Yin Dun had received the secret message sent by his father and said to Yang Anxuan: "An Xuan, my father sent a message yesterday. On the first day of the first lunar month, the court issued a decree to attack Huan Xuan. The war will start at any time. Yu Yu I came here this time to discuss with you how to organize our troops.
Yin Ji beamed when he heard that there was a war going on. After defeating the Wei army, Yang Anxuan recommended him to the court as Sima of Runan. He brought Xu Xiaozhong to Xinxicheng to train the county army. Yin Dun was the eldest brother and restrained him from time to time, which made Yin Ji feel less comfortable than being with Yang Anxuan.
Yang Anxuan asked Yang Siping, Yang Zijing, Yang Shangbao, Yang Anshen, Yang Anyuan and others to come to the study to discuss matters, and asked Zhang Feng to bring his personal guards to guard outside the house to avoid leaks.
After learning that the imperial court had issued an order to attack Huan Xuan, the Yang family were all excited. Yang Anyuan said: "I will leave tomorrow to return to Xingyang and lead the army south."
Yang Anxuan said: "Third uncle, second brother, your soldiers and horses are not moving for the time being. Although Qin and Wei are at war with each other and have no time to care, if they know that Mengjin and Xingyang are empty, they may take advantage of it and rob them. We can't lose the big for the small." "
Yin Ji said excitedly: "There are more than 3,000 troops in Runan and nearly 4,000 troops in Yingchuan. Together they exceed 7,000, which is enough to attack Yongzhou."
Yin Dun couldn't help but scolded: "There is no soldier left in the county. How will we deal with the case of treason?"
Yang Anxuan took the map from the case and spread it out: "Huan Xuan sent Diao Chang to garrison Xiangyang. There are 6,000 troops stationed in Xiangyang, 3,000 troops in Nanyang County, and about 1,000 troops stationed in other counties."
Yang Siping stroked his beard and said: "If we do not mobilize the troops and horses in Henan, Xingyang and Mengjin, we must leave at least a thousand troops in Yingchuan and Runan for emergency response. The available troops in An Xuan's hands are only 5,000. If we want to capture Yongzhou is easier said than done."
Yang Anxuan smiled and said: "When my father was the governor of Yongzhou, he was kind to the people and comforted the soldiers, which was very popular. If the court declares Huanxuan to be a rebel and we lead the army here, Yongzhou will definitely have people's hearts and minds, and the soldiers will have no desire to fight. It is foolish to think that except Xiangyang City , other counties will look down on the wind, and the soldiers and horses in those counties can become a boost.
. "
Yang Anyuan nodded and said, "The third brother is right. Father Yu Ze is still here. Apart from Xiangyang City where Diao Chang is stationed, there is indeed no enemy in Yongzhou."
Yin Ji said: "I dare not tell you elsewhere. If the army marches towards Jiyang City, the people of Xinye will definitely come to greet them."
"If Huan Xuan first raises his troops to march eastward, he will inevitably mobilize troops and horses from Yongzhou." Yang Anxuan pointed his finger at Xinxi City and said: "I intend to mobilize two thousand light cavalry from Yingchuan to go south and temporarily hide in the Runan military camp. , wait for the news of Huan Xuan sending troops, and then take action."
Everyone agreed.
Yang Anxuan looked at Yin Dun and said, "Brother Yin, these two thousand Qingqi will have to rely on you to eat horse chews."
Yin Dun smiled and said, "I will fight against rebellion for my country without any hesitation."
After careful discussion, everyone dispersed to make preparations and kept silent to the outside world. Zhang Feng followed Yang Anxuan's order and went to Yiling, Jingzhou to invite the king to suppress the evil.
In Jingkou, Minghuang's edict was placed on the table. The words "Forward Governor, General of the Conquest of the West, and in charge of Jiangzhou affairs" lingered in Liu Laozhi's mind. The court was finally willing to appoint him as the governor of Jiangzhou.
Liu Laozhi twirled his beard and recalled that he had fought nearly a hundred battles since he joined the army. He was promoted from the position of joining the army to General of the Western Expedition and took charge of Beifu Mansion. Just because he was born in a general family and was not considered a high-ranking family, he was deliberately suppressed by the court and refused to grant him the position of governor he wanted most.
Looking at the world, he was the only one who could fight against Huan Xuan, so Sima Yuanxian had no choice but to give him the order to take charge of Jiangzhou affairs. Liu Laozhi felt depressed and happy at the same time. As long as he had Beifu's army in hand, no one in the world would dare to look down on Yu.
After rolling up the edict and putting it aside, Liu Laozhi ordered: "Beat the drums to gather the generals and raise troops to build a healthy society."
On the seventeenth day of the first lunar month, Liu Laozhi led 30,000 Beifu troops to the outside of Jiankang City. Sima Yuanxian sent his son Liu Jingxuan to labor the army.
Sima Yuanxian admired Liu Jingxuan very much and appointed him as general Ning Shuo who proposed to join the army. On the first day of the first lunar month, Sima Yuanxian was promoted to General of the Hussars, and Liu Jingxuan was transferred to the rear army to become Zhonglang and General of the Auxiliary State.
Liu Jingxuan was unhappy when he saw Sima Yuanxian's arrogance and wantonness. He stopped drinking at every banquet and did not follow the crowd to flatter Sima Yuanxian. Sima Yuanxian gradually became dissatisfied with him.
Huan Xuan sent a letter to King Sima Daozi of Kuaiji and ordered a reward for the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, and no merchant ships were allowed to travel.
Most of the capital's needs originally depended on the land of Sanwu, but due to Sun En's rebellion and the destruction of Sanwu, Huanxuan banned the river roads, the capital was short of supplies, and even military rations were a problem.
When Liu Laozhi saw his son bringing corn husks and acorns to fill the army rations, he was shocked and said: "How can the soldiers eat enough and fight with the Jingzhou army with these things alone? How can we fight this battle?"
Zhang Fashun met Huan Xuan in secret and advised him: "Brothers Huan Qian and Huan Xiu hold important positions. If Huan Xuan's army arrives, I am worried that they will cooperate with Huan Xuan, so it is better to kill them early to establish their authority."
Sima Yuanxian lowered his head and said nothing.
Zhang Fashun continued to advise: "If Shangshu Ling feels that it is difficult to take action, he might as well rely on Liu Laozhi. I think Liu Laozhi is capricious. He is the commander-in-chief of the former army. Once something changes, he will be defeated. He just ordered Liu Laozhi to kill Huan. Qian and Huanxiu to show their loyalty. If he refuses, Shangshu Ling will have to take action first and kill Liu Laozhi."
Sima Yuanxian shook his head and said: "If it weren't for Liu Laozhi, who could stop Huan Xuan? Killing the general before the battle begins is absolutely unacceptable. Sir, there is no need to say anything more."
Zhang Fashun said urgently: "Lord, you must not be merciful and make a decision early."
Sima Yuanxian smiled and said, "Sir, don't be impatient. Regarding the Huan brothers, I already have a clever plan."
Taking a sip of tea, Sima Yuanxian said excitedly: "Brother Huan Qian is the son of the late Taiwei Hengchong. Huan Chong can still put the country first. He served as the governor of Jingzhou for many years and was quite prestigious. Yu intends to let Huan Qian take the post. The governor of Jingzhou is the governor of the four states of Jingzhou, Yi, Ning, and Liang. In this way, the Huan family can fight among themselves, which is called going to the army to attack."
Zhang Fashun could only respond with a wry smile to Sima Yuanxian's sudden whim.
On the 24th of the first lunar month, Jiangling, Governor's Mansion.
Huan Xuan was looking at Gu Kaizhi's "Shuifu Tu" in his study, when the maid presented him with a letter.
The letter was sent by his cousin Huan Shisheng, and Huan Xuan guessed it was news from the capital. Years ago, he wrote to King Sima Daozi of Kuaiji, accusing the court of mistakes.
, and ordered the sealing of the river, thinking of seeking some benefits from the court.
After reading Huan Shisheng's letter, Huan Xuan was dumbfounded. He was just bluffing. How could the court declare that he was rebellious and was preparing to raise troops to attack him.
After sitting blankly for a long time, Huan Xuan hurried to the lobby to convene civil and military officials to discuss countermeasures.
There were various opinions, and Huan Xuan was in a state of confusion. He patted the case and said: "The imperial court did not accept loyal advice. Instead, it sent Liu Laozhi as the vanguard and Sima Shangzhi as the rear guard to invade in a large scale. Let's gather our troops in Jiangling and fight to the death with the imperial court."
Bian Fanzhi, the chief official, laughed and said: "The Duke of Nanjun is famous all over the world, but Sima Yuanxian is just a young boy with a yellow mouth, and he only relies on Liu Laozhi. Because Liu Laozhi betrayed Wang Gong, the morale of the Beifu army was unstable, and the court And if you are wary of him, why should you be afraid?"
Huan Xuan's heart calmed down and he said, "What Jing Zu said is true. In your opinion, how should we deal with it?"
"My lord can spread the word to the world, clear the emperor's side, and the army will be prosperous. If you only add a little military power, the court will fall apart. How can you delay the entry of the enemy and be controlled by others."
Huan Xuan was moved by Bian Fanzhi and stood up and said: "I have made up my mind. I will spread the word to the world and the army will be prosperous."
Yiling, Jingzhou, Wang family residence.
When Wang Yao learned that his nephew had chosen Yang Anxuan, he said, "When you go to Xuchang, you can take your brother Wang Ji and your brother Wang Hong (2) with you as your backers. You intend to let Wang Zhao and Wang Lang go to Qingzhou, Wei State, to defect to Wang Xian." , so that no matter what happens in the future, there will be someone in the Wang family to support the family."
Wang Zhen smiled evilly and said, "Let Wang Kang go to Xiapi and join Liu Yu. I think only Yang Anxuan and Liu Yu can be called heroes in the world today."
After packing his luggage, Wang Zhene prepared to leave for Xuchang after the first month of the year. Before leaving, Yang Anxuan discussed with him that there were two positions for him to choose from, one was the magistrate of Fugou County, and the other was the thief Cao, Wang Zhene was undecided. , Let’s talk about it when we get to Xuchang.
There was a visitor outside the door asking to see him. Wang Zhene was surprised when he saw Zhang Feng. Why did Yang Anxuan send his followers to find Yiling himself?
After reading Yang Anxuan's letter, Wang Zhene was overjoyed and went to court to attack Huan Xuan. As the war was about to begin, Yang Anxuan summoned himself to Xinxi to serve as military counselor.
Wang Zhen was filled with nausea and excitement. He loved reading military books, talked about military affairs, and was good at strategy. This trip was the place where heroes could use their skills. Wang Zhen wished he could fly to a new place with wings.
