In Yecheng, standing on the female wall in the south of the city, you can only see the rolling river, the towering mountains, the flat dam at the foot of the mountain, the desert mulberry fields, the lush trees, the distant and near streets connecting each other, and the continuous smoke from the kitchens between the well-proportioned houses.
There are various shops and restaurants lined up in several long streets and alleys in the city. Under the painted buildings with hooked eaves, the shouts of vendors selling Hu cakes are mixed with the crackling of charcoal fires in the stoves.
The steamer was steaming, the remaining morning dew on the tiles dripped on the bluestone, and the water dripped under the eaves. After a burst of horseshoes, the bells and drum towers at the top of the city rang with the sound of bells. This new day is truly a new day. has begun!
Seeing the city gates opening not far away, merchants traveling from north to south in the market used mules and horses to carry their goods across the town for thousands of miles to trade in Yecheng. For a while, the city was noisy and full of people, and it was like a scene. Busy traffic and bustling scene!
After the Battle of Yecheng, half a year had passed since the armistice between Jin and Yan. Under the joint governance of Zhuge Kan and Zhu Chen, Yecheng began to rejuvenate. Thanks to the opening of the border market, all industries in Yecheng prospered. Population surge!
Just on this day outside Ye City, a group of northerners and northern horses followed the caravan of mules and horses, stretching from the north to the city gate. The leader was holding a staff, and behind him was a large flag with the word "Yan" fluttering in the wind. The accompanying people and horses were all dressed as Xianbei people. They did not wear armor, but wore hoods and short round-neck robes, and rode horses slowly south.
"Zhao Qiu, the envoy of the Kingdom of Yan and the right servant of Shangshu, was ordered by the King of Yan to escort Princess Qinghe's dowry to Luo. Please check the talismans along the pass and let her go quickly!"
Zhao Qiu, the right servant of Shangshu of the State of Yan, handed the certificate of credence and the ceremonial talisman to the city guard for inspection. The city gate order of the Jin army knew that this matter was very important and did not dare to do anything about it. He did not open the certificate of credence on his own initiative, but The news was immediately sent to the official office in Yecheng where Zhuge Kan was located.
When Zhuge Kan learned about it, he immediately summoned Liu Laozhi and Zhu Chen: "The Jin-Yan Marriage Alliance was originally created by Zhao Qiu. Princess Qinghe is in Luoyang. There is no major war in Guanzhong at the moment. Zhao Qiu ranks among the three princes. I hold an important position in the central committee and have won the trust of King Yan. I am afraid that my lord will rush back to Luoyang in person to marry Princess Qinghe. I immediately sent someone to inform the lord, and at the same time sent a group of people to pass the news back to Luoyang to inform Pei Fuji, so that He has already made preparations to receive the Yan envoys, what do you think?"
Zhu Chen agreed very much: "General Zhuge's arrangements are very appropriate, and my subordinates have no objections."
Liu Laozhi laughed loudly: "Since General Zhuge has the final say on this matter, why do you need me to come here to discuss it?"
Liu Laozhi paused and asked slowly: "Just one thing, since Zhao Qiu's status is different, should we go out of the city to greet him together?"
"It's exactly what General Liu said!" Zhuge Kan reacted and immediately ordered people to prepare their horses: "Come, prepare your horses and line up to welcome the Yan State envoy!"
"Promise!" A soldier outside the door said with his hands in front of the threshold and then took the order to leave.
Not long after, Zhao Qiu and his delegation from the Yan State had entered the main street of Yecheng from Guangde Gate. At this time, they met Zhuge Kan and three others who had set off from the Beicheng Yamen Office.
"The Great Sima Li of the Jin Dynasty, Cao Yuan, Zhuge Kan..."
"General Liu Laozhi..."
"Ningyuan General Zhu Chen..."
"I've seen Zhao Pushe!"
Zhuge Kan and the other three dismounted their horses one after another and came forward to salute Zhao Qiu. Upon seeing this, Zhao Qiu immediately dismounted and returned the salute.
"Da Sima's Northern Expedition is victorious in every battle. I've heard about the names of all the generals for a long time. It's really extraordinary when I see them today!" Zhao Qiu was smiling all over his face. He didn't need to think about these diplomatic words at all, he spoke them directly.
Zhao Qiu first mentioned the name of the Northern Expeditionary Army, and then included all of them into the Great Sima Shogunate, and ranked them under Xu Zongwen. In fact, except for the Zhuque Camp led by Zhuge Kan, which was one of the main forces of the Northern Expeditionary Army, the rest of them were like Liu Laozhi's Beifu soldiers, Zhu Chen's Xiangyang soldiers, or the Gaoping Xi family's personal tribe in the hands of Xi Hui who accompanied him to Yecheng were not part of the Northern Expeditionary Army, at least on the surface.
Therefore, what Zhao Qiu said has some meaning in separating the relationship between the generals and the Northern Expeditionary Army and even Xu Zongwen.
But the truth is not as simple as Zhao Qiu seems on the surface.
Zhu Chen was the governor of Yanzhou and even the earldom of Xiangping because Xu Zongwen recommended him to inherit the title. The soldiers in Xiangyang fought side by side with the Northern Expedition. Zhu Chen was grateful to Xu Zongwen, and some only wanted to belong to him.
Let's talk about Liu Laozhi. Although he is brave, he has one eye and one finger. In addition, the Beifu soldiers in his hands are all from the Xie family of Chen County, and the Xie family has a close relationship with Xu Zongwen. What's more, he even has Zhuge Kan, one of the six sworn brothers in Pengcheng. Generals such as Tian Luo, Zhang Gui and the Zhang brothers all came from the Beifu Army.
From this, it can be said that the Beifu soldiers and the Northern Expeditionary Army are both comrades-in-arms and former comrades. There is me in you and you in me. Blood is thicker than water and inseparable!
If you want to drive a wedge between the Beifu soldiers and the Northern Expeditionary Army, you can't instigate it with just a few words from others.
The last Xi Hui, the Xi family in Gaoping has been in decline for a long time. This time Xi Hui had the opportunity to participate in the Northern Expedition because of Xu Zongwen. He opposed the Northern Expedition and Xu Zongwen. He would not have these thoughts when the alarm clock was awake.
"You Pu She is knowledgeable about the past and the present, and has the ability to strategize and change. He also has the talent to govern and rejuvenate the country. He has the ability to assist the emperor and is a classic in governing the world..."
"The right servant shot Yun Wen and Wu, and did not shy away from axes and axes when he went out to other countries. He was quite like Su Qin and Zhang Yi in the Qin Dynasty. The virtues of Su Wu in the Han Dynasty made us feel inferior to him!"
Zhuge Kan and the others are not pure warriors who can only dance with guns and sticks. They go into battle to kill the enemy, and they are not inferior in the slightest to Zhao Qiu's greetings!
"Thank you generals for your support!"
"We are going to have a banquet with Youpushe in Yecheng to welcome the Yan State envoy. Please don't refuse, Youpushe!" As the host, Zhuge Kan naturally had to show his loyalty to the landlord.
Different from the rumored treatment of the Yan people in Xianbei, Zhao Qiu was highly respected by the Jin army and people in Yecheng.
Firstly, Zhao Qiu's two missions were all for the two countries to turn their hostilities into friendship and establish a marriage alliance to bring about a good relationship between Qin and Jin. This was to truly seek welfare and stability for the two countries.
The second is that Zhao Qiu was originally a Han. He was born into a noble family and had been familiar with Confucian classics since he was a child. He understood etiquette well, had a beautiful appearance, and a dignified appearance. He was completely different from those Xianbei men who braided their hair wildly and killed people like hemp.
A few days later, Xu Zongwen, who was far away in Chang'an, Guanzhong, after arranging military and civil affairs, officially returned to Luoyang with the shogunate staff headed by Xi Jian, preparing to marry Princess Murong Ling of Qinghe, sign a marriage alliance with Zhao Qiu, and conclude the Jin-Yan alliance.
On the way, the military advisor Guo Chang suggested to Xu Zongwen that he should postpone the alliance with Yan: "My lord, Yizhou and Sanfu have been restored to our dynasty, but Wang Gong returned from Xuzhou to Jiankang to take charge of Niu'er, and Yin Zhongkan and others hooked up with the king. Gong excludes dissidents and seizes the fruits of our army's Northern Expedition. Such despicable actions are not only fighting for power with the lord, but also declaring war on the Northern Expedition! Our army's temporary non-alliance with the Yan State can deter Jiankang. This move is a clear sign Without me, the Northern Expeditionary Army and the Lord's court, the northern border will not be stable!"
In the carriage, Xu Zongwen looked at this close friend who had worried him for months and stayed in Chang'an for a long time, and spoke very calmly: "Wang Gong is certainly greedy, and Yin Zhongkan and others are shameful, but Xianbei is a foreign invasion. How can we allow others to snore? Jiankang will have to go back sooner or later, but not now. The foundation of the Northern Expeditionary Army is in Suluo, not Jiankang. As long as we have a hundred thousand Northern Expeditionary Army in our hands, even Wang Gong and others will not be able to overturn it in Jiankang. sky."
Xu Zongwen repeatedly warned: "The Northern Expeditionary Army exists for the Northern Expedition and to recover lost territory, not to be reduced to a tool for power and gain."
Guo Shang also proposed a plan to order Liu Yu's troops stationed in Kuaiji to move north to garrison Xizhou City, and asked Zhang Songzhi, the commander of the imperial army, to divide his troops and garrison in Stone City. The two armies formed a corner to intimidate all officials in Jiankang!
Xi Jian opposed this move. He believed that such an approach would arouse the dissatisfaction of the Northern Expeditionary Army of the gentry and accelerate the conflict between the gentry and the Great Sima Shogunate.
Xu Zongwen had a different view on this. He adopted Guo Shang's strategy and ordered Liu Yu to be Danyang Yin and lead his army into Jiankang. However, he did not let the imperial guards stay in Stone City. Instead, he recommended the conquest general Liu Laozhi to lead the army. The reason why the Beifu soldiers were stationed in Jingkou was to prevent Sun En's party and Lu Xun's army from invading Jiankang from the waterway.
"Expelling the barbarians and restoring the Central Plains is my long-cherished wish in life, and it is also the oath you made when you followed me, Xu Xiao. No matter how the situation in the court evolves from now on, as long as it does not endanger our Northern Expeditionary Army and does not prevent us from regaining our homeland, it will be nothing." need."
"I hope you can listen to these words from my heart."
"No! Lord!"
Seeing that Xu Zongwen valued the Northern Expedition so much, Guo Shang and Xi Jian initially planned the Northern Expedition and temporarily put the Jiankang dispute behind them.
Xu Zongwen is not a pedantic person. He certainly knows that there are people in the court who are good at becoming officials. Moreover, there are many spies in Jiankang. The power of the imperial army is controlled by the Zhang family. There's no way he doesn't know anything about the changes!
So the current method is to sit back and watch the changes, and strike later!
