In the first year of Yixi (AD 405), Yizhou, Chengdu, Yizhou governor's office.
A thin, dark man in his forties, strong and capable, wearing the purple official robe unique to the governor, with a smile on his face, pointed to a piece of edict in his hand, and said to the civil and military officials in the palace hall: "Everyone , starting from today, everything can be put out of order and back on track. This time, the imperial court not only awarded me the military positions of General of the Western Expedition, Regular Attendant of Sanqi, and Commander-in-Chief of Yi, Liang, Qin, Liang, and Ning, but also This is to inform us that this year’s year name has been changed from the Puppet Chu Tycoon to the First Year of Yixi to commemorate the success of Jingkou’s establishment of Yixi and the overthrow of the traitor Huan Xuan who usurped the country. Everyone, our civil and military forces in Sichuan have always been great. The loyal ministers of Jin, even when the Puppet Chu gained power for a while, still adhered to the integrity of the ministers of the Jin Dynasty and did not bow to it. This edict is a reward for our loyalty."
The person who said this was none other than the current governor of Yizhou, Mao Chu, who was Liu Yu's old friend for many years and the younger brother of the late Zitong Prefect Mao Qiu. The son of Mao Muzhi, a famous general of the Mao family. Generations of generals from the Mao family have served the Eastern Jin Dynasty since the founding of the country, Mao Bao, and can be described as a loyal family. Mao Can also participated in the Battle of Feishui with her elder brother and father when she was young. At that time, she served as Sima in Xie Yan's army and personally He led his troops to pursue Fu Jian, frightening the former King of Qin and leaving behind an idiom story of "Fear and Crane".
After the war, he was rewarded for his merits and served as the internal history of Huainan, and later the governor of Yizhou. Several of his brothers, from Mao Qiu to Mao Jin and Mao Yuan, also served in the Western Frontier of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Mao Qiu He once served as the governor of Liangzhou and the prefect of Zitong, and died in office. Mao Jin, as the captain of Xiyi, controlled the troops of Shu. As for Mao Yuan, he was the prefect of Shu County. Another brother, Mao Fan, is now the governor of Shu. As the governor of Ningzhou in Yunnan and Guizhou, he also died in office. When Huan Xuan was killed a while ago, it was Mao Youzhi, son of Mao Fan, and Fei Tian, who joined the army in Ningzhou, helped his coffin back to Jiankang, and they achieved this unparalleled feat of killing Huan Xuan on the way.
Sitting first on the left, a middle-aged general in military uniform was none other than Xiyi Colonel Mao Jin. He was also Mao Xiuzhi’s father. He was a man of extraordinary prowess. He smiled and said, "Second brother, this time our Mao family is the big one." Jin made great achievements. Not only did they capture Liangzhou where the Huan family was entrenched, but Youzhi and Xiuzhi killed the great rebel Huan Xuan. To say that Liu Yu and Liu Yi had great achievements in building righteousness, but they killed the rebels. The great achievements of the thieves have been attributed to our Mao family, and this general who conquered the west still does not feel worthy of our achievements."
Sitting opposite him was a red-robed official, about thirty-five or sixty years old, fair-faced and slightly chubby. He was Mao Jin's younger brother Mao Yuan, the current prefect of Shu County. He smiled and said: "Third brother, do you want anything else? Liang Liang. Are you satisfied if the state gives it to you?"
Mao Jin smiled and waved his hand: "Anyway, Liangzhou has been captured by me personally. This time it is also under the command of the second brother. It is equivalent to the territory of our Mao family. However, although we killed Huan Xuan , but it’s a pity that we didn’t take the opportunity to go further east and capture some territory in Jingzhou or Xiangzhou. Qiao joins the army, don’t you think so?”
Sitting next to Mao Jin was a short, skinny man in his forties. He was the current head of the Qiao family, a large family in Shu. The Qiao family had always been a big family in Shu, starting from the Shu-Han era. The famous minister Qiao Zong has been very influential in the local area since the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty. No matter how the regime in central Shu changes, this family will always be the number one powerful person in the local area. Even Qiao Zong is now the number one official under the Mao family brothers. From this arrangement On the seat, you can get the reflection.
Qiao Zong smiled slightly: "Shu and Jingzhou are too far apart. Even if we win, we may not be able to control it. In my opinion, the governor has done a very good job this time. Taking Hanzhong, Liangzhou, has done a great service to the country." , it’s not a problem to return to the DPRK to hold a senior official position in the future.”
Mao Can waved her hand: "You can't say that. Qiao joined the army. Although Huan Xuan is dead, the country has not yet settled down. Guangzhou was captured by the demon thieves of Tianshi Dao. Lu Xun actually proclaimed himself the governor of Guangzhou. Pingnan General, what is even more troublesome is that Huan Zhen, a remnant of the Huan family, actually captured Jiangling City and held the emperor hostage again. As a result, the edict of me, the general who conquered the west and the governor of the five states, had to be issued by King Wuling of Jiankang. As a minister, how can I say that I have done a good job at this time? Qiao joined the army, I cannot agree with your words."
Qiao Zong's expression changed, and he quickly took off his official hat, placed it beside him, and kowtowed to the ground: "I made a mistake when I made a mistake, please forgive me."
Mao Can didn't look at him and said in a deep voice: "Let me tell you again, our Mao family has been loyal and loyal for generations. We are here to serve as officials. We do not want to be like some rebellious ministers and traitors, who only want to put the interests of the family first and separate one side. , was a vassal town for a long time. Now that Jiangling has been lost, His Majesty is still in the hands of the thieves. Of course we must mobilize troops to rescue. Today we have called you all to announce the appointment and dismissal orders of the imperial court. Secondly, as the new General of the Western Expedition and the Governor of the Five Prefectures, Announcing preparations for an eastern expedition from now on to seize Jiangling."
At this time, even Mao Jin's face changed slightly and said: "Second brother, we just used troops and fought hard to capture the land of Liangzhou three months ago. Now Liangzhou has not been consolidated, whether it is Qiu Chi on one side or Qiu Chi on one side. The Hou Qin Dynasty in Guanzhong in the north was all eyeing Liangzhou. In addition, in the past six months, in order to conquer Liangzhou, it had almost exhausted its grain reserves and missed a year's grain harvest in Shuzhong. Many people were complaining. It was not appropriate to go to Liangzhou at this time. Raise more troops."
Mao Can gritted her teeth: "How could I not know about these difficulties? But compared with His Majesty falling into the hands of thieves and worrying about his life, what does it mean? In Liangzhou, even if you give up, it's not a big deal. You can still do it in the future. It can be taken back, but if His Majesty is gone, then our Jin Dynasty will finally succeed in restoring the country. If the royal line is cut off, there will be chaos in the future."
Mao Yuan shook his head and said seriously: "Second brother, the Western Expeditionary Army Liu Yi, He Wuji and others will deal with these matters. Although Huan Zhen was lucky enough to successfully counterattack Jiangling, he has insufficient troops and no status. Even if it is Jingzhou Even the old troops will not obey him. The current situation in Shu cannot afford another expedition. If you really want to rescue your majesty, let the two generals Shi Yanzu and Wen Chumao at Baidi's side deal with the last eastward march. The defeated soldiers can be sent out again, but the troops in Liangzhou and Shu must not be moved in large numbers."
Mao Can's eyes widened, she stood up suddenly, and said sternly: "Are you still from the Mao family? Our Mao family has been loyal and loyal for generations. My grandfather died fighting for the country, and my father and uncle both served the country throughout their lives and died in duty. Your Majesty, your majesty is in trouble now. If we don't go to rescue you, what are you doing here? Xiyi Colonel Mao Jin, I now order you to return to Liangzhou immediately and lead 10,000 Liangzhou troops to set off first. Yizhou joins the army and Qiao Zong, you are now Go back and recruit Ding Nan from various counties in Yizhou. Within half a month, I want you to organize 20,000 troops and horses, and 500,000 shi of military rations. Join forces with the King of Diligence and engage in military law!"
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