On March 22, Langya King Sima Dewen issued an edict in the name of the Emperor, abolishing the Yuanxing reign and restoring the Long'an reign. He sent his servants to Xinting to labor the army, nominally recognizing the victory of Huan Xuanqing's side.
Under the guidance of the officials of the ancestral hall, Huan Xuan rode a wheel cart to the capital amidst the sound of drum music, with flags waving beside him and swords and guns shining in the sun.
The motorcade went from Xuanyang Gate to Da Sima Gate. Officials and people on both sides of the imperial road prostrated themselves on the ground. Huan Xuan was deeply moved. After ten years of absence from the capital, he finally set foot on the imperial street again as a winner.
In the autumn of the 16th year of Taiyuan, Sima Daozi drunkenly reprimanded Huan Wen for being a thief, which made Huan Xuan panic and uneasy. Today, the survival of the Sima family is in his own hands, how happy he is. It is my responsibility to take over my father's unfinished business.
After getting off the car in front of Taiji Hall, Huan Xuan tidied his clothes and walked into the east hall in a leisurely manner under the guidance of his attendants.
The emperor, Sima Dezong, sat on a high throne and looked at Hengxuan blankly as he bowed down and saluted him without saying a word. Next to him, Sima Dewen, the king of Langya, responded on behalf of the emperor: "The Duke of Nanjun is exempt from the courtesy."
Huan Xuan stood up and glanced at Sima Dezong unceremoniously. He had long heard that the emperor was stupid, could not speak, and did not even know whether he was warm or cold. How could such a fool be the king of a country and not be defeated at court?
Seeing the courtiers bowing to him one after another, Huan Xuan seemed to see his father Huan Xuan standing in the court hall, and the ministers bowed their heads and shouted a hundred promises.
After the ceremony, Huan Xuan began to issue edicts in the name of the emperor. The first edict was to rectify the name of the Jingzhou army and attribute the blame for the war to Sima Yuanxian.
The edict said: "The banners of righteousness are gathering, and the crime is in Yuan Xian. The Taifu has a different teaching, he is to relieve the strictness and stop the armor in order to fulfill the righteousness."
Lifting martial law was to declare the end of the war, while Xijia was to ask the six armies to disarm and wait for the Jingzhou army to fall.
Immediately after taking power in the second round, Huan Xuan was granted the title of Chief Baikui, serving in the imperial court, governor of domestic and foreign military affairs, prime minister, Lu Shangshu Shi, Yangzhou Mu, and the governor of Xuzhou. He also added fake Huang Yue, Yu Baogong and Ban Jian Twenty. For the people, there are four people on the left and right, namely, Chang Shi, Sima, and Zhonglang, and two hundred armored men go to the palace.
The chief minister, Bai Kui, is in charge of the affairs of the government, and is in charge of all officials and all government affairs in the world. The powerful ministers usurp the throne in three steps. The chief minister, Bai Kui, goes to the palace with swords and shoes. He does not rush to praise or worship, but pays some courtesy and then abdicates.
All the ministers were stunned, Huan Xuan's ambition was undoubtedly exposed, but Jingzhou's troops controlled both inside and outside the capital, and no one dared to speak out against it.
Huanxuan was very satisfied with the reaction of the courtiers. It seemed that his prestige was enough, and the sons of Wang and Xie did not dare to say anything.
The next step was to take control of the court. Huan Xuan, as the chief minister, announced that Huan Qian was appointed as Shangshu Zuopushe and General of the Central Army, taking charge of Shangshu Province and the Sixth Army in Beijing; Huan Shisui was appointed as Huangmen Lang, General Zuowei guarded the palace city; Bian Fanzhi was General Jianwu and Danyang Yin, responsible for military affairs around the capital; Wang Mi was Zhongshu Ling, leading the army, Shangshu of the Ministry of Personnel, in charge of the Shangshu Province and the selection of officials.
Wang Mi is the great-grandson of Wang Dao. His biological father is Wang Shao. He was adopted by his uncle Wang Xie. He and Wang Xun are cousins. Wang Xun's father Wang Qia is brothers with Wang Shao and others.
Wang Mi was a tactful person, able to get both sides of things, and had close relationships with the royal family and various powerful families.
The reason why Huan Xuan valued him was not only that Wang Mi was born in the Langya royal family and had a noble status, but also that Wang Mi was good at dealing with people and could ease the relationship between him and the family.
When Liu Yu was tied to a tree by Diao Kui and whipped, it was Wang Mi who rescued him. Wang Mi was a wise judge of people.
If the court is controlled by his own cronies, Fang Zhen will of course also be controlled by his own cronies.
Huan Xuan took the post of Yangzhou Shepherd; his brother Huan Wei became the general of Anxi, was appointed as the governor of Jingzhou from Jiangzhou, and also served as the captain of the Southern Barbarians.
In this attack on Jiankang, Huan Shisheng passed on the news many times and made great contributions. Huan Xuan named him former general and governor of Jiangzhou.
Huan Xiu became the general on the right, commanded the military affairs of the six states, and concurrently served as the governor of Xu Yan and the two states. The promise of the governor of Qingyan to Liu Laozhi became empty words.
Yongzhou was captured by Yang Anxuan. Of course Huanxuan would not give up. He appointed Feng Gai as the governor of Yongzhou and recaptured Xiangyang.
The imperial court appointed Yang Anxuan as the governor of Yongzhou, and commanded the military affairs of Yongzhou, Liang, Ning, and Yizhou. This became Huanxuan's heartache. The Mao family in Ningzhou and Yizhou had been operating for many years, and it was difficult to shake for a while. Huanxuan decided to change He lost Guo Quan, the governor of Liangzhou.
During this attack on Jiankang, Fu Hong persuaded Yang Qiu to surrender, showing his opposition to
In order to show his loyalty, Huan Xuan named Fu Hong the governor of Liangzhou and asked him to cooperate with Feng Gai in attacking Yongzhou. As for Guo Quan, Huan Xuan decided to transfer him back to Beijing and serve as a former general.
Sima Shangzhi, the governor of Yuzhou and the king of Qiao, fled to Tuzhong after his defeat. He was reported and captured, and was being taken to Beijing. Huan Xuan did not arrange a candidate for the governor of Yuzhou, and planned to stay with Liu Laozhi.
Everything was arranged inside and out, it was already getting late, Huan Xuan was a little tired and was going to rest.
Huan Xuan had no residence in the capital, so it was unreasonable to live in the palace. The best house in the capital was Wuyi Lane. When Huan Xuan saw Xie Huan, he smiled and said, "Looking at Cai County, I would like to temporarily rent it to Xie Taiwei." I don’t know what’s right in the house.”
Xie Hun responded calmly: "Zhao Bo's benevolence can still benefit Gantang; Wen Jing's virtue can't protect his five-acre house?"
Huan Xuan's face changed and he looked ashamed.
Bian Fanzhi quickly softened his words and said, "Dongfu is where the Prime Minister works. My lord will be the Prime Minister, so why not stay in Dongfu."
Huan Xuan got off his donkey along the slope and said, "Good."
Huan Xuan was very busy in the next few days. The nobles in Beijing came to show their goodwill, and relatives and friends naturally came to seek official positions.
Yin Zhongwen, the prefect of Xin'an, was the younger brother of the former Southern Barbarian Yin Jian, the cousin of Yin Zhongkan, and the brother-in-law of Huan Xuan. Because Huan Xuan was jealous of the court, he was demoted to the prefect of Xin'an.
When he learned that Huanxuan was in charge of Jiankang, Yin Zhongwen immediately ordered people to prepare his chariots, gave up his post as prefect of Xin'an, and came to the capital to join Huanxuan. Huanxuan ordered him to join the army on consultation.
Huan Xuan felt extremely at ease. No one in the court dared to say anything against him. He had the final say in all affairs of the court. He wished he could shout in the east hall, "This is what a man should do."
Huan Xuan's Jingzhou soldiers and horses took over the capital. The Beifu Army, led by Liu Laozhi, did not enter the capital, but retreated to Xiezhou, waiting for Huan Xuan to fulfill his promise of a reward.
Liu Zhong learned that Huan Xuan had come to Beijing and took more than a thousand Yuzhou naval forces out of the Yangtze River estuary and stationed themselves on an island.
When Yang Anxuan destroyed Zhu Shuiyan, he asked Liu Zhong, who took over, to search for Zhu Shuiyan's hidden nest. The hard work paid off, and Liu Zhong actually found this isolated island.
There is fresh water on the island, and Xu Hong also accumulated a lot of food and supplies on the island. Liu Zhong used the island as a base and would come here for supplies when he led his ships to sea.
Seeing that the capital was firmly under his control, Huan Xuan began to "please take revenge" and raised the butcher's knife of liquidation.
The first thing to be killed was of course Sima Daozi and his son. Sima Yuanxian's crimes were well listed, such as "arrogant and extravagant indulgence, killing loyal people, using women to do evil" and so on. Sima Yuanxian and his six sons were sentenced to abandon the market.
On the other hand, the charges against Sima Daozi, the king of Kuaiji, were uneasy. Huan Xuan, remembering the past grievances, went to court for charges such as "greed and arrogance, favoring the younger generation, drunkenness, and unfilial piety" and suggested that Sima Daozi be abandoned.
Sima Daozi had a close friendship with the nobles in the capital, and they often had banquets and leisurely discussions with the nobles in the capital. The nobles in the capital thought that the punishment was too severe, and rejected Huan Xuan's suggestions during the court meeting.
When Huanxuan first took charge of Jiankang, he did not dare to go against the wishes of the clan too much. After all, everyone in the court was not close to each other.
They compromised with each other, and finally issued an edict in the name of the emperor to exile Sima Daozi from Ancheng County in Jiangzhou.
It is sad to say that Sima Daozi, as the king of Kuaiji, once held important positions such as Taifu, Prime Minister, Situ, and Yangzhou Governor. He had been in power for many years. When he was escorted to Yanwei, no one from the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty came to see him.
Wang Xun, Wang Xun's son, who was keeping his filial piety at home, came to the roadside to pay homage, climbed on the car and cried, as a way of repaying his kindness for being called up many times that year.
After dealing with Sima Daozi and Sima Yuanxian, the fate of the remaining minor characters was quickly determined.
Sima Yuanxian's confidants Zhang Fashun, Grand Tutor Xunxun, Yu Kai and his son Yu Hong, Libu Lang Yuan Zun, and Qiao Wang Sima Daozi all abandoned the market.
What people didn't expect was that Huanxuan actually included the champion general Mao Tai and the guerrilla general Mao Sui among those who abandoned the city. Mao Tai beat Sima Yuanxian severely when he captured him, firstly to relieve his grievances. The second is to tell Huanxuan that he and Sima Yuanxian are not in conflict with each other. In the end, it was self-defeating, and he and his brother became the ones who accompanied the execution.
Sima Yuanxian's two most trusted confidants, Zhang Fashun and Wang Dan, Huan Xuan certainly refused to let Wang Dan go. The right general Huan Xiu interceded for his uncle, but Huan Xuan did not kill Wang Dan because of his cousin's face, and exiled him to Lingnan, Guangzhou.
Also sentenced to exile was Dan
Sima Huizhi of Yangyin, Sima Yunzhi of Guangjin, and Mao Dun, the Taifu chief secretary, caused a bloody storm in the capital.
To be honest, Huan Xuan still had some scruples in his heart when he established his power and killed his political opponents. He was afraid that Liu Laozhi would voice his opposition. After all, Liu Laozhi commanded tens of thousands of Beifu troops.
However, Liu Laozhi didn't say a word. Judging from Huan Xuan's dispatch of Fang Zhen, the position of Yuzhou governor was vacant and should be reserved for him.
In the capital, Huan Xuan consciously made preparations and began to deal with the Beifu Army and Liu Laozhi.
When he learned that Huan Xuan had announced his appointment as General of the Eastern Conquest and Internal History of Kuaiji, Liu Laozhi was shocked and said angrily: "In such a hurry to seize the military power from Yu, disaster is not far away."
In the capital, Liu Jingxuan felt deeply that something was not right, so he informed Huan Xuan and returned to Xiezhou to persuade his father to accept the court appointment.
Huan Xuan was also testing. If Liu Laozhi accepted the appointment, everyone would be happy. Huan Xiu would also serve as the governor of Xu Gun's two states, and he would naturally become the commander of the Beifu Army.
If Liu Laozhi led his army to attack, he would withdraw his order and appoint Liu Laozhi as the governor of Yuzhou, ending the situation amicably. As for whether Liu Jingxuan should be killed or retained, it has nothing to do with the overall situation. It doesn't matter if he is allowed to go.
Liu Jingxuan rushed back to Xiezhou and told his father that Huanxuan was going to kill him, so Liu Laozhi made the first move and led the Beifu army to attack Jiankang.
Liu Laozhi hesitated for a while and said: "The morale of the army is not stable, and the Jingzhou soldiers are watching. Let's move the troops to Bandu first."
Bandu (1) is in the southwest of Xinzhou, far away from Jiankang. Huan Xuan was overjoyed when he heard the news and said: "The Beifu army is no longer worried."
After stationing in Bandu, Liu Laozhi first came to Liu Yu and said, "De Yu, I regret that I didn't listen to you, which caused today's disaster. Huan Xuan deceived Yu too much, and Yu planned to lead his army north to Guangling to fight with Gao Yazhi. Let's meet up and raise an army to attack Huan Xuan. You are willing to go with Yu."
Liu Yu said categorically: "The general led tens of thousands of troops from Beifu, but he surrendered to Huan Xuan without fighting. Now Huan Xuan is in control of the court, and all the subjects in the world are obedient. Although Guangling is close, Yu is afraid that Huan Xuan will not let the general go easily. Yu Yu fears that Huan Xuan will not let the general go easily. I am already disheartened and want to disband my troops and return home to live out my remaining days in Jingkou."
Seeing that Liu Yu refused to follow him to Guangling, Liu Laozhi found his nephew He Wuji, but He Wuji refused to comment.
He Wuji had a close relationship with Liu Yu and knew that Liu Yuxiong was talented and wise, so he came directly to ask Liu Yu for his opinion.
Liu Yu sighed: "I think your uncle can't escape Huan Xuan's poisonous hands. You might as well go to Jingkou with Yu. If Huan Xuan observes the Minister's Day, we will join him, otherwise we will rely on Jingkou to support the country."
Although he did not receive a reply from Liu Yu and He Wuji, Liu Laozhi was determined to attack Huan Xuan at this time, and gathered his generals and staff to discuss going north to Guangling and defending Jiangbei to resist Huan Xuan.
Liu Xidao, who joined the army, said: "There is nothing worse than rebellion. The general first rebelled against King Yanzhou, and then against Sima Langjun. Now he wants to think about Duke Huan. How can one person stand up for himself if he rebels three times? I'm sorry for my stupidity."
After that, Liu Xi went straight out of the tent and left. The generals and staff in the tent looked at each other and left the table one after another. There were only a few people left in the tent.
Liu Laozhi was horrified, knowing that his military morale had been lost and that he would no longer be able to command the Beifu army. He quickly ordered Liu Jingxuan to return to Jingkou to meet his family, and then they fled together to Guangling.
On March 28, the appointment had arrived, but Liu Jingxuan was nowhere to be seen. Liu Laozhi thought that his whole family had been killed by Huan Xuan, so he had no choice but to lead his troops to escape northward to Xinzhou, where he hanged himself.
An hour later, Liu Jingxuan arrived and learned that his father had been hanged. He did not dare to stop and cry, so he directly took a boat across the river and fled to Guangling.
Liu Laozhi's troops buried Liu Laozhi and transported the coffin back to Dantu.
When Huan Xuan learned that Liu Laozhi was dead, he suddenly felt light all over. He ordered someone to cut open the coffin, cut off Liu Laozhi's head, and exposed his body in the market. It was sad that a famous general of a generation died unexpectedly, with two heads on his body.
In Xiangyang, Yang Anxuan learned from Xi Hui's letter that there was a dramatic change in Beijing and that there was a bloody storm and that he would soon attack Yongzhou.
Feng Gai's army has not yet arrived, and Yang Anxuan is ready to chop off his head as a memorial to Yang Quanqi, the enemy who killed his father.
