On June 8, Sima Dewen, king of Langya, returned to Jiankang. Shangshu Zuopu shot Liu Muzhi and his ministers out of Zhuque Gate to greet him.
Driving on the straight and wide imperial road, Sima Dewen looked at the prosperity in front of him and felt sad in his heart. He wondered how long the Jin Dynasty could last in name only.
Sima Dewen did not go to the East Hall to accept the pilgrimage of the ministers. He went to the palace to see the emperor Sima Dezong on the grounds of physical discomfort. He left the capital on April 10 and had not seen his brother for two months.
In Xianyang Palace, Sima Dezong sat blankly in the palace, while the attendants stood quietly in the dark. There was silence in the palace.
Sima Dewen came forward to pay homage and saw that his brother's face was thin and he was not by his side. It was obvious that the attendants and maids did not take good care of him. No one even cleaned up the dirt on his chin and beard.
Since the death of Imperial Concubine Yin Huizhen, Empress Dowager He and Empress Wang passed away one after another, leaving only Concubine Yang in the palace. Concubine Yang spent all day eating and chanting Buddha in the palace, and did not take care of the affairs of the harem at all, and most of the harems were Liu Guifei. Liu Yu's eyeliner, no matter what the situation is, cannot escape Liu Yu's ears and eyes.
Unable to scold the attendants and maids, Sima Dewen asked them to exit the palace, sat next to his brother, and held Sima Dezong's hand. The two brothers sat in silence.
The sunlight passed through the window lattice and fell silently on the ground, then moved to the front of the couch, and then moved away from the front of the couch.
The country was about to be destroyed, and there was no one in the court. Sima Dewen burst into tears when he thought about his sadness. He couldn't help but fell on Sima Dezong's lap and cried loudly.
Feeling a hand caressing the top of his head, Sima Dewen raised his head in surprise and looked at his brother with tearful eyes. Sima Dezong raised his hands subconsciously, his expression still blank, and stared blankly at Sima Dewen, with a hint of concern in his eyes.
Sima Dewen raised his sleeves to wipe away his tears. The Jin Dynasty had ceased to exist in name only. All the ministers in the court had their own plans. Wang Xie and other nobles were all attached to Liu Yu and could not count on him at all. Holding his brother's hand tightly, Sima Dewen made up his mind to protect his brother even if he died.
Thinking in his heart, he went out with Liu Yu this time and learned from Zeng An that Liu Yu's army was blocked by Yang Anxuan. At first, Liu Yu vowed to let him go to Luoyang to worship the late emperor's tomb, but in the end he was allowed to return to Jiankang first. Obviously, he was right. There is no confidence in capturing Luoyang.
Liu Yu pressed hard and took advantage of the expedition to kill the clan members Sima Xuanqi and Sima Zhenzhi. The clan could not tolerate anyone with a little talent. If he was allowed to take the throne, it would be difficult for his brother and himself to survive.
Since Yang Anxuan has the strength to fight against Liu Yu, he might as well borrow his strength. After all, his daughter Maoying is married to his son. Judging from past interactions and the words of Liang Wang Sima Zhenzhi, Yang Anxuan has a generous heart and goodwill towards the royal family. , if he can defeat Liu Yu, he should be able to save the life of the clan.
A wry smile appeared on Sima Dewen's face. If he wanted to take advantage of Yang Anxuan, he had to help him, otherwise Yang Anxuan would not work for him. Sima Dewen's eyes became determined. Instead of waiting for death, it was better to fight to the death.
I am the King of Langya and the Great Situ in name, and it is difficult for the East Hall to issue decrees without my consent. In the past, I had to endure hardships and just want to survive. Now it seems that Liu Yu has no intention of giving himself a way to survive, so he will simply risk it all to see if Liu Yu dares. Risking the great injustice of the world - regicide.
After making up his mind, Sima Dewen shouted loudly, and the attendants and maids filed in and came forward to pay their respects.
Sima Dewen looked at these slaves coldly and shouted: "I know that you are secretly serving the Duke of Song in order to seek wealth or save your life. I don't blame you for the ants to live in vain, but if you dare not serve the emperor wholeheartedly, , Gu will kill you first, is it possible that Song Gong will turn against Gu because of you?"
The attendants and maids were so frightened that they knelt on the ground, saying "I dare not" and "please spare my life, your Majesty".
Sima Dewen flicked his sleeves, stood up and said, "You can take care of yourself later."
After leaving the main hall, Sima Dewen returned to the Grand Sima Mansion outside the palace. …
Fu Liang and Liu Muzhi knelt down to discuss secretly at the Shangshutai, Liu Muzhi's official residence.
Fu Liang briefly told Liu Muzhi about the situation of the battle in Suiyang. When Liu Muzhi heard that Wang Xuanmo had proposed a plan to collect food from the locals, his expression changed and he said: "It's easy to say that my lord can win with this strategy. If we can't successfully capture Sui, it's easy to say." Yang, I am afraid that I will lose the support of the people and the situation will become difficult in the future."
Fu Liang sighed: "The war is urgent, as long as
If we can deal with it from the right, Suiyang should be able to capture it in a while. When Yu returned to Beijing this time, he was entrusted by his lord to prepare several things for Liu Gong. "
The conscription, the baggage, and the elixir fire all made Liu Muzhi frown. Fu Liang lowered his voice and said, "Your Majesty, please send envoys to the north and ask them to act accordingly."
Liu Muzhi was shocked. Before sending troops, Liu Yu had discussed with Liu Muzhi that if the war went well, the Wei army would not be allowed to intervene. Now Song Gong ordered to send envoys to Northern Wei, obviously he was not confident in winning.
His heart became heavier and heavier, and he heard Fu Liang continue: "I received a battle report on my way to Yu Lai. My lord also took the two cities of Ningling and Xiangyi and besieged Suiyang City. Suiyang City is strong and deep, and only 20,000 people The remaining troops and horses are difficult to disembark, so Liu Gong needs to recruit another 20,000 troops and horses, so that he can successfully capture Suiyang City."
Liu Muzhi shook his feather fan and said: "Yu Xin has recruited 16,000 soldiers and horses, and they are training at Jingkou. They can go north with Ji You at any time. The battle of Suiyang is crucial. If you can get them, you can go south to Ruyin. You can go north to Jiyin, and you can also go west to Xingyang to attack Luoyang, and you can advance and retreat freely."
Fu Liang picked up the tea to moisten his throat and said softly: "We attacked Yong in five ways, and won in many ways. We captured more than a thousand miles of territory. The imperial troops and horses are as powerful as a rainbow. It is just around the corner to defeat Yang Anxuan. The imperial court needs to reward the meritorious soldiers to calm the morale of the army." .”
Liu Muzhi pondered for a moment, and the reward for meritorious soldiers was actually a reward for Song Gong. Liu Muzhi knew that Liu Yu's intention was to add nine tins to pave the way for ascending to Dabao. It's just that although the Yong Army is at a disadvantage, its strength is still there. As time goes by, the war may develop in favor of the Yong Army. It is not a good opportunity to pursue Jiuxi at this time.
After taking a look at Fu Liang, he saw a slight smile on Fu Liang's lips and a meaningful look in his eyes. Liu Muzhi's heart moved and he knew the reason. It is clear that the Duke of Song wants to succeed the Jin Dynasty. For the sake of family status and future status, Fu Liang, Xie Hui, Wang Hong and others may all want the Duke of Song to become emperor as soon as possible, so they secretly promote and cater to the addition of Jiuxi.
As the number one adviser and confidant around Liu Yu, Liu Muzhi knew that Liu Yu's mentality had changed since Jingling's defeat and illness, and he became eager to become emperor.
This five-pronged attack on Yong could have been better prepared, but Song Gong took advantage of Yang Anxuan's expedition to attack the Qiang and Hu. He hastily sent out troops. Although he achieved a lot of results, the follow-up was weak. Using Wang Xuanmo's plan to recruit food on the spot would probably be difficult. It is a last resort.
The reason why Song Gong became anxious was because of the illness. He was already fifty-four. After the illness, his physical strength was not as good as before. He once lamented to himself privately that the disciples were still young. If Yang Anxuan could not be eliminated as soon as possible, Liu Yifu and others would not be Yang Anxuan in the future. opponent.
Liu Muzhi shook the feather fan in his hand and felt sad in his heart. He was three years older than Song Gong. During this period of hard work, he also felt that his energy was not as good as it was a few years ago. He was already older.
In the current situation, if Yang Anxuan can be defeated, he will be able to conquer the world. If he loses, I am afraid that there will be no place for him. Those wealthy families will switch to Yonggong one after another. Song Gong is like riding on a tiger. The purpose of sending Fu Liang back to Beijing at this time was to take advantage of the favorable situation to settle the matter of Jiuxi, tie the powerful clans in the court together, and take the initiative. Read the book
At that time, Huan Wen wanted to add Jiuxi, but Xie An and Wang Tanzhi deliberately delayed it. In the end, he died of illness and could not do anything. Song Gong was afraid of repeating Huan Wen's mistake, so he deliberately wanted to see the reaction of the family members by adding Jiuxi.
Fu Liang waved Liu Muzhi's fan without saying a word, and simply pointed out: "Song Gong ordered the world to be Zong, and he upheld the great integrity, exterminated Huanxuan, and re-established the royal family; he destroyed the puppet Yan, pinned Lu Xun, executed Liu Yi, and destroyed Qiao. Shu, clean up the filth, and the work lies in the country."
Liu Muzhi nodded and said: "With Song Gong's achievements, he can be added to the Prime Minister's Kingdom and the two counties of Pei and Liang can be enlarged as fiefs. What do Ji You think?"
Fu Liang shook his head and said: "The title of the Prime Minister is not enough to show the merits of Song Gong. I foolishly thought that I should grant the title of Prime Minister to the Prime Minister, with a total of 100 kuei, ten counties as the title, and the establishment of the Song Dynasty. I will use white cogon grass and add the gift of nine tins."
Liu Muzhi stopped shaking the fan and said, "Yang Anxuan has not yet been destroyed. Is it too early to grant the title of ten counties? Is the gift of Jiuxi the Lord's original intention?"
Fu Liang laughed and said: "Mr. Liu, how can you not fire an arrow when it is on the string? Although my lord has not said it explicitly, how can you not do it as a minister?"
Liu Muzhi pondered for a moment and said, "Ji You has been tired all the way, so I will go home and rest for two days. I will talk to Ji You after I think about it carefully."
Fu Liang stood up, gave a salute, and said: "We are fortunate to be promoted by the lord. Mr. Liu is the most trusted person of the lord. The lord is away at war. Jiuxi
This matter is Liu Gong's responsibility. I hope he will think twice. "
After sending Fu Liang away, Liu Muzhi thought hard for a long time. He always felt that it was not a good opportunity for Song Gong to add Jiuxi at this time. The war was still in a stalemate. If the army was defeated, it would be criticized by thousands of people and there would be no way out.
It was already getting late, so Liu Muzhi drove back home. His eldest son, Liu Lu, came to pay him a visit. Officials like Liu Luzhi were riding outside to attend him.
Seeing his son hesitate to speak, Liu Muzhi frowned and said, "If you have something to say, speak it out. Why are you looking like this?"
Liu Luzhi said respectfully, "I heard that Minister Fu returned to the capital in honor of King Langya. I thought you'd met him before."
Liu Muzhi nodded. Liu Luzhi continued: "Is Mr. Fu here here for Duke Song's sake?"
"How do you know?" Liu Muzhi asked in surprise.
Liu Luzhi said: "Your Excellency, the authorities are confused. I am afraid that most people who know the intention of Song Gong's sending Fu Shilang back will be able to guess his intention."
Liu Muzhi glanced at his son. His eldest son, Liu Luzhi, had always been submissive in front of him and had no independent opinions. Today, he took the initiative to mention Fu Liang to him. It seemed that he had something to say.
After stroking his beard, Liu Muzhi said in a gentle tone, "Li'er, Fu Liang advised his father to acquire ten counties for Song Gong and add nine tins. What do you think?"
Liu Liu was stunned and blurted out: "Why is Duke Song so anxious?"
Liu Muzhi sighed softly: "As a father, I am also surprised. Yang Anxuan is still alive. If Song Gong adds Jiuxi at this time, I am afraid it will be difficult to turn back if anything happens. My father is going to write a letter to Song Gong, urging him to take care of it slowly." .”
"Absolutely not," Liu Luzhi said urgently.
Liu Muzhi said calmly: "Why?"
Liu Luzhi took a breath and slowed down his tone and said: "When the children were young, they studied with the adults. The adults once told the children the story of the Three Kingdoms. Back then, Emperor Wu of Wei wanted to add nine tins, but Xun Yu blocked it. Things are the same today as they were then. Your Excellency must not imitate Xun Jinghou."
Liu Muzhi's hand paused, looked at his son again, and said happily: "My son's words are right, but his father made a mistake. Today, my father relies on Song Gong, so it is not appropriate to go against his wishes. Can you see clearly? It's so valuable that I will go to court one day and my father will send me a gift of nine tins to the Duke of Song."
