On May 24th, Fu Liang entered Pengcheng and met with Liu Zunkao first. The two discussed secretly for a while and then went together to pay homage to Langya King Sima Dewen.
Sima Dewen was forcibly taken out of Beijing by Liu Yu, nominally as a pioneer, and placed in a post house after arriving in Pengcheng.
Knowing that he was just Liu Yu's hostage, Sima Dewen was extremely depressed and kept singing, dancing and drinking every day. When Fu Rong and others arrived, Sima Dewen was watching the singing and dancing in the hall and was half drunk.
Fu Liang and Liu Zunkao came forward to greet them. Sima Dewen looked drunkenly and said with a smile, "Hehe", "It turned out to be Fu Zhonglang (the Taiwei was engaged in Zhonglang), but Song Gong regained Luoyang and asked me to go to the imperial mausoleum to offer sacrifices."
Hearing the sarcasm from King Langya, Fu Liang's expression did not change, and he bowed slightly and said: "Suiyang City is just around the corner, and it won't take long to invite the prince to Luoyang. The prince has been out of the capital for a while, and the emperor misses him very much. I intend to ask the prince to come back, and I am here to send the prince back to the capital on the order of Song Gong."
Sima Dewen's eyes lit up, his drunkenness subsided a bit, he sat up straight and stroked his scattered beard, and said, "Song Gong asked me to return to the capital?"
"Yes, please make some preparations, Your Majesty. We will set off in two days."
After Fu Liang and others left, Sima Dewen waved away the dancing girl, sat quietly for a moment, stood up, turned to the study, and said to the attendant beside him: "Go and invite Zeng Neishi."
King Langya went to Luoyang with his army, and many officials from the royal palace accompanied him. One of them was Zeng An, the palace official.
Zeng An came to the study and saluted King Langya. Sima Dewen smiled and said, "Qi You, please sit down and talk. I have a few words to ask you."
The smell of alcohol in the room made Sima Dewen blush all over. Zeng An knew that the prince was drinking to drown his sorrows again, and sighed in his heart. Being born in an emperor's family and enjoying the glory and wealth, there are also many risks and hardships, especially for the last generation of the clan, etc. When Liu Yu usurped the throne, the Sima family died.
Zeng Any sat down beside him as he said, and Sima Dewen lowered his voice and asked, "Qi You, can Duke Yong return from the land of Qiang and Hu?"
Sima Dewengui is the king of Langya, and Liu Yu's informants are all around him, making him seem to be under house arrest. Zeng An was Yang Anxuan's face, so Shen Tianzi naturally sent people from the Military Intelligence Department to monitor him, but they could not restrict Zeng An's actions.
Yang Anxuan gave Zeng a large amount of property and asked him to make friends with officials in the court and people in the capital. Many people were happy to associate with him. Behind Zeng An was Yong Gong Yang Anxuan. The situation of the conflict between Yong and Song Dynasties was unclear. If he could make good friends with Yong Gong through Zeng An in advance, wouldn't he have prepared more ways for himself.
Zeng An was followed by people from the Military Intelligence Department wherever he went, but they could not stop him from calling friends. It was easy to get the information he wanted during conversations at the banquet. Shen Tianzi could not arrest everyone he interacted with. .
Seeing Zeng An nodding, Sima Dewen took a breath of alcohol and murmured: "No wonder Song Guild asked Gu Hui to return to Jiankang."
Zeng An said: "Song Gong's troops are blocked in Suiyang, and Yong Gong has sent reinforcements. This battle is probably going to be protracted, so Song Gong asked the prince to turn around first."
Sima Dewen said coldly: "Song Gong asked Yu to return to the capital and asked Fu Liang to accompany him. I'm afraid he has some conspiracy."
Zeng Anxin knew full well that Liu Yu had seized a lot of territory from Yong Gong this time, and he would definitely instruct Liu Muzhi, Fu Liang and others to increase his rank and rank, and he might be planning to gain Jiuxi.
Wang Mang's usurpation of the Han Dynasty left a set of procedures for future generations of powerful officials to usurp the throne. The first step was to enter the court without following, praise and worship without fame, and go to court with swords and shoes. This step has been completed by Liu Yu.
However, historical records record that there are many ministers who received these three special gifts. Zhou Jiangshang, Han Xiao He, Cao Wei, Cao Zhen and others all received these three special gifts. This does not mean that the ministers have the intention to usurp the throne, but that the emperor uses these three special gifts. Special gifts are given to important ministers to show their dignity and intimidate the ministers.
But if you go to the second step and add nine tins, send out the police and enter the country, it will be a warning to the world that the powerful officials are planning to usurp the throne.
According to the "Book of Rites", nine kinds of utensils are nine kinds of utensils. One is a golden chariot with a large chariot and a military chariot with a rong chariot, which is pulled by two black horses (eight black horses); A pair of ties, shoes); the three music hangers (1) can be used to place bells and chimes and other musical instruments; the fourth Zhuhu is the red lacquer door; the fifth Nabi is the special passage when entering the palace; The six tigers and swords are three hundred personal guards; their seven bows and arrows are not ordinary bows and arrows, they are red bows with hundreds of arrows and black bows with thousands of arrows; their eight axes and axes show the military power;
Its Jiujiang (yin jusheng), a fragrant wine used for rituals, is brewed from rare black millet and tulips.
The so-called "walking out and guarding, entering and leaving" refers to the etiquette of the emperor guarding and clearing the road when he comes in and out, and prohibiting pedestrians from coming and going.
Those powerful ministers who want to change the dynasty will all pursue the special gifts of "Nine Tins" and "Go out of the police and enter the country", while those loyal ministers will refuse to express their attitude. Zhuge Liang of the Shu Han Dynasty in the Three Kingdoms rejected Liu Chan's suggestion to add "Nine Tins" to him to show his loyalty.
The third step is to establish a feudal state and seize the country. In fact, Liu Yu was already on this road. The imperial court granted him the title of Duke of Song, with Pengcheng, Peijun, Lanling, and Xiapi counties as fiefdoms. Liu Yu asked Fu Liang to return to the capital, most likely requesting the expansion of his fiefdom and seeking Jiuxi.
Sima Dewen burst into tears. The strength of the Jin Dynasty had actually been exhausted when Huan Xuan usurped the throne. Huan Xuan had fled Jiankang with himself and his brother after his defeat. Today, Liu Yu had taken him away during the Northern Expedition. The Jin Dynasty had long since It exists in name only, but I don’t know what my fate will be in the future? .
When Zeng An saw Sima Dewen crying, he sighed softly and said, "My lord, there is no need to feel sad. Duke Yong is a merciful man. Your Majesty and Duke Yong are related by marriage. In the future, you can trust Yong Gong and you will be safe and sound."
Sima Dewen lamented: "If I can go to Xiangyang, I believe Yong Gong will treat me kindly, but how can Song Gong let me go to Xiangyang? I hope Maoying can escape the sea of suffering and be safe and happy in the future."
Before the two of them could exchange a few words, Chu Xiuzhi's voice sounded outside the room, "Your Majesty, I heard that Your Majesty drank too much, so I ordered my servants to prepare a sobering soup."
Sima Dewen wiped his tears with his sleeves and said to Zeng An with a wry smile: "This uncle of Gu's has been ordered by Song Gong to keep a tight hold on Gu. I heard that I came here in a hurry when I heard you."
Chu Xiuzhi's voice sounded outside the door again, "Your Majesty, please come and see me."
Zeng An stood up and said, "Rong Chen, please leave."
When he came outside the house, he saw Chu Xiuzhi standing straight outside the corridor. There were two maids standing under the steps holding soup.
Zeng An bowed to Chu Xiuzhi, and Chu Xiuzhi cupped his hands and said with a smile on his face, "Zeng Neishi is trusted by the prince, and he will summon you first when something happens."
Zeng An looked down on Chu Xiuzhi very much. He was born in the Chu family of Yangzhai, and his sister was married to King Langya. As a relative of the emperor, he was favored by the emperor. Seeing that the Jin Dynasty was about to overthrow, he was willing to be Liu Yu's lackey and spy on King Langya. move.
Zeng An didn't bother to pay attention to such a dishonest person. He waved his sleeves and left proudly.
Chu Xiuzhi gritted his teeth secretly, waiting to see how long you can be proud. When Song Pingping kills Yang Anxuan, you will be doomed.
On May 26th, Langya King Sima Dewen boarded a ship escorted by hundreds of soldiers, and accompanied by Fu Liang, headed south to the capital. …
On May 18th, Qian Lei led 6,000 naval troops and more than a hundred large and small ships down the river. On May 20th, he arrived at Hengsangkou (southeast of today's Tianmen City, Hubei Province), which was only seventy meters away from Jiukou. The distance of more than one mile can be reached in one hour at most.
It was already Shenshi when the Yongzhou Navy arrived at Hengsangkou. Qian Lei decided to temporarily park and camp at Hengsangkou and set up a base to attack Jiukou.
Qian Lei thought very clearly that the master was waiting for him to act according to the opportunity and use the navy's advantage of convenient movement to leverage Wang Zhongde's deployment, influence his army to pursue him, and annihilate his army in action.
Yang Anxuan explained in a letter to Qian Lei that Wang Zhongde was a veteran general on the battlefield, and his subordinates Shen Tianzi, Yu Qiujin and others were all capable generals who fought in hundreds of battles. It was not easy to win, so he had to act according to the situation, seek progress with stability, and do not have to act too hastily.
Hengsangkou is a vast area with numerous lakes. Zhuge Liang set up a battlefield here back then. To this day, Huzhangling, Zhugeling, Adouling and other garrison areas remain, enough for thousands of warships to fight here, and more than a hundred Yong troops. The boats can move freely, so there is no need to worry about being intercepted by Liu Yu's navy.
Choose a remote place to set up a water village. There is a mountain behind it and a vast lake in front of you. You have a broad view and smooth traffic from north to south, so there is no risk of being ambushed.
Inviting Yu Fei, Qian Lei pointed to the map and said: "Seventy miles ahead is Jiekou, where Jiikou troops will be stationed. Whether they attack Anlu or advance eastward to Xiakou, they must first defeat Jiikou." Village."
After discussing the business, Yu Fei's face became serious and said: "I heard from my lord that Yu Qiujin once defeated Fu Jian with Xie Xianwu at Feishui, and then followed Liu Yu in the southern and northern campaigns and made many military exploits, and was promoted to the general of the auxiliary country.
After someone has led an army for decades, it may be difficult for him to take advantage of the situation, so he must be more careful. "
Qian Lei solemnly said: "According to reports, there are 6,000 Yuqiu troops entering Zhunkou, and Xiakou and Quling armies can come to support within two hours. Our army only has 6,000 troops, which is insufficient in comparison. It is best to fight quickly."
"This trip carries five thousand kilograms of gunpowder, which can be used to set fire to the camp." Yu Fei suggested.
Qian Lei said with a smile: "Five thousand kilograms of gunpowder is not much. It must be used in key places. If it is all used up when breaking the Jiekou stronghold, how will we deal with Wang Zhongde?"
Yu Fei said no more and said: "We must engage in battle as soon as possible. Our army will soon be detected by Yu Qiujin when they arrive at Hengsangkou. The longer the delay, the tighter Yu Qiujin's arrangements will be."
Qian Lei nodded. The supplies he brought during the raid on Jiukou were only enough for one month. Although there were many fish and shrimps in the river, they could not be used as food rations.
"Without further delay, we will launch an attack at the beginning of the morning tomorrow." Qian Lei said.
With Yu Qiujin's experience, he would definitely be prepared to rob the camp at night. The navy of the Yong Army conducts drills at Mao hour every day and ends at Chenchu. The same is true for the imperial troops and horses. At this time, the soldiers are tired and hungry, which is a good time to launch an attack.
On May 21st, there was mist on the river, and the Jieshui Division went out to the water village for training as usual. Four-quarters of an hour later, the drums sounded, and the ships on the river gradually gathered together and divided into several teams to prepare to enter the village gate.
The sound of beeps sounded intensively from behind, the roar of "enemy attack" sounded, and more than twenty feet away, countless boat shadows broke through the mist and appeared.
Yu Qiujin's warship was about to enter the water village. When he heard the sound of the warship, he immediately ran from the bow to the stern of the ship. As he ran, Yu Qiujin shouted, "Scatter the ships to meet the enemy."
Most of the naval vessels were large ships of about ten feet. The hulls could not turn around. When they suddenly encountered the enemy, they turned around and collided with each other. The soldiers on board stood still, and at this time, the Yongzhou Navy appeared more than twenty feet away.
Yu Fei stood at the bow of the boat holding a bow, with more than ten arrows inserted side by side in front of him. He calmly stretched out his hand to take the arrows, and when the bow sounded, people fell. In a moment, seven or eight people fell under the arrows.
The morale of Yong's army was greatly boosted, and the soldiers who had been prepared for a long time started shooting arrows at the Jieshui division. The Jieshui division was caught off guard and fell in large pieces in the rain of arrows.
Yu Qiujin grabbed a shield and stood in front of him, shouting loudly: "Disperse quickly, use your boat to smash the Yong army ships, wait for the enemy ships to approach and jump over to engage."
At this time, the soldiers in the water village also reacted, and the soldiers on the archery tower shot arrows at the approaching Yong army ships from a high position.
Yu Fei bent his bow and shot, but the soldiers on the archery tower were hit by arrows and fell.
Qian Lei saw that the Zhunshui Division ships clustered together were about to scatter, and he loudly issued an order: "Jet the fire tubes."
Twelve pumps that had been set up sprayed gunpowder powder at the ships two feet away. It was as dark as a dark cloud, and dozens of ships were immediately covered. When Yu Qiujin saw the black mist spraying out, he immediately knew something was wrong, turned around and jumped into the water.
Dozens of rockets flew into the sky and exploded into flames after being stained with flying powder in the air. Immediately afterwards, the enemy ship burst into flames. The soldiers who were sprayed by the powder were suddenly covered with flames and screamed as they jumped into the river. go.
Qian Lei waved the flag, and the Yongzhou navy advanced and retreated freely, blocking and intercepting the escaping ships. Although the ships of the Zhuskou Division were tall, they were far less agile than the ships of the Yongjun Navy, and soon the flames surrounded the ships of the Zhukou Division.
The fire spread and led to the water village. Qian Lei looked at the soldiers fleeing on the river and in the water village, and loudly ordered: "Kill!"
